With the curtains coming down on the inaugural International Film Festival Delhi (IFFD), the national capital is beginning to stake a claim as a cultural and cinematic hub alongside its historical and political identity. Plans are under way to institutionalise the festival as an annual event, festival director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, a veteran filmmaker, said in a conversation with The Hindu on Tuesday.
“The energy and enthusiasm the festival received grew day by day,” said Mr. Mehra, describing the experience of helming the first edition as “enriching”.
He added, “We should mark one week in Delhi’s annual calendar for the film festival so that it becomes a continuum. When you bring so many countries, films and people together, there is a responsibility, and it is good to have a year to plan.”
The seven-day festival, held across more than 15 venues, saw over 30,000 registrations, with at least 125 films from 47 countries screened. Organisers said 2,100 entries were received from about 100 countries, reflecting significant international interest in an event announced barely two months earlier. Spain was featured as the “focus country”, while the Singapore International Film Festival was an official partner.
