Cinetrā Desk

We bring the latest festival and awards updates to our readers.

30 articles published

Articles by Cinetrā Desk

Festivals

Shalini Adnani's “Our Share of Sand” Selected for Venice Critics' Week

Shalini Adnani's debut feature *Our Share of Sand* will world premiere in competition at the 2026 Venice Critics' Week.

July 21, 2026

Festivals

TIFF unveils Gala and Special Presentations slate

TIFF has unveiled its Gala and Special Presentations slate, featuring new films by Danny Boyle, Pedro Almodóvar, Jesse Eisenberg and more.

July 20, 2026

Opportunities

WAVES Film Bazaar opens entries for Screenwriters’ Lab 2026

WAVES Film Bazaar has opened applications for its Screenwriters’ Lab 2026. Feature fiction writers can apply until August 4.

July 19, 2026

Festivals

Danny Boyle's "Ink" to Open Venice, Giovanni Veronesi's "Dio ride" to Close

Danny Boyle's *Ink* will open the Venice Film Festival, while Giovanni Veronesi's *Dio ride* has been chosen as the closing film.

July 19, 2026

Awards

72nd National Film Awards announce 2024 winners

The 72nd National Film Awards named *Article 370* Best Film, with Mammootty, Kartik Aaryan and Yami Gautam among top winners.

July 18, 2026

Opportunities

Netflix Launches NextGen India Writers' Program for Emerging Screenwriters

Netflix India has opened applications for its NextGen Writers' Program, offering emerging Hindi screenwriters mentorship and a chance to pitch.

July 18, 2026

News

Punjab Villages Turn Satluj Screenings into a Grassroots Cinema Movement

Community screenings of **_Satluj_** are drawing crowds across Punjab, transforming the film’s removal from streaming into a shared public event.

July 16, 2026

Industry

Indian Project Makes Asian Short Film Fund Shortlist

Indian animator Suchana Saha's *How to Eat Tomatoes* is the only Indian project shortlisted for the 2026 Asian Short Film Fund in Hong Kong.

July 16, 2026

Festivals

Dev Benegal's English, August Returns to Venice in 4K

Dev Benegal's **_English, August _**returns in a 4K restoration at Venice Classics, extending Film Heritage Foundation's global preservation run.

July 15, 2026

News

Anurag Kashyap Launches Curated Short Film Platform

Anurag Kashyap has launched *Oh Flip Shorts*, a curated YouTube platform dedicated to independent short films, beginning with *Incognito*.

July 14, 2026

News

From TIFF Withdrawal to ZEE5 Takedown: The Long Journey of Satluj

ZEE5 removed **_Satluj_** within 48 hours of release, extending a turbulent journey that began with its withdrawal from TIFF in 2023.

July 14, 2026

Awards

HBO Max and Apple TV+ Dominate 2026 Emmy Race

HBO Max and Apple TV+ emerged as the biggest winners in the 2026 Emmy nominations, underlining the industry's shift towards fewer, prestige dramas.

July 13, 2026

Opportunities

Fondazione Prada Opens Global Film Fund Call

Fondazione Prada's Film Fund is inviting feature film projects worldwide, offering production support to independent filmmakers across all genres.

July 13, 2026

Festivals

Gurvinder Singh’s Rehmat Heads to Locarno Main Competition

Gurvinder Singh's Rehmat will world premiere in Locarno's Main Competition, with Naseeruddin Shah leading the cast. India returns to the race.

July 13, 2026

Awards

Rohan Kanawade's Sabar Bonda Wins FIPRESCI-India Grand Prix 2025

Rohan Kanawade's **_Sabar Bonda_** has won the FIPRESCI-India Grand Prix 2025, topping the critics' annual list of India's best films.

June 30, 2026

Industry

Payal Sethi's 'Babak' Selected for Busan Asian Cinema Fund Script Development Programme

The Germany-India co-production follows an Afghan refugee in Germany and will receive script support and industry exposure in Busan.

June 29, 2026

News

Vishal Bhardwaj, Sreekar Prasad among six Indians invited to join the Academy

Six Indian film professionals have been invited to join the Academy's 2026 membership class and vote for the Oscars

June 25, 2026

Festivals

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Switch Off Join BIFAN 2026 Line-Up

Dominic Arun's Dulquer Salmaan-produced fantasy **_Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra_** and Sandeep Francis' **_Switch Off_** are among the Indian selections at BIFAN 2026.

June 23, 2026

Festivals

Poland's Silver Wins Top Honour at MIFF 2026

Polish documentary **_Silver_** won MIFF 2026's Golden Conch, while **_Small Clouds_** and Iran's **_Under the Snow_** topped the short fiction categories.

June 21, 2026

Festivals

London Indian Film Festival to open with 52 Blue

Ali El Arabi’s **_52 Blue_**, following a football-obsessed young man from Kerala on a life-changing trip to the Qatar World Cup, will open LIFF 2026.

June 21, 2026

Festivals

Ridham Janve’s Hunter’s Moon Wins Best Screenplay at Shanghai IFF

Singapore director Anthony Chen-led jury awarded Ridham Janve's _**Hunter's Moon**_ Best Screenplay in Shanghai's Asian New Talent section.

June 21, 2026

Festivals

Nadav Lapid Withdraws from Marseille Jury After Boycott Campaign

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who sparked controversy at IFFI Goa over _The Kashmir Files_, quits Marseille festival after boycott calls.

June 19, 2026

News

Christopher Nolan to Attend The Odyssey Mumbai Premiere

Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon and Tom Holland will attend the Mumbai premiere of _**The Odyssey **_ahead of its July 17 release.

June 17, 2026

News

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ Cleared for India Release After CBFC Reversal

Oscar-nominated The Voice of Hind Rajab has been cleared for release in India after the CBFC granted the film an ‘A’ certificate. The film opens in cinemas on June 19.

June 15, 2026

Festivals

MIFF 2026 brings Sundance, Cannes and TIFF discoveries to Mumbai

MIFF opens in Mumbai on June 15 with a line-up featuring films that have screened at Sundance, Cannes, TIFF and Berlinale.

June 13, 2026

Festivals

Karlovy Vary 2026: Indian Film in Proxima, Mrinal Sen Returns in Festival Retrospective

The 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has selected Yashasvi Juyal’s The Ink-Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb for the Proxima Competition, the section focused on emerging and formally adventurous cinema.

June 11, 2026

Opportunities

Deadline Extended: Red Sea Souk Project Market 2026

The Red Sea Souk Project Market 2026 is now open for submissions, offering mentorship, industry meetings, travel support and access to US$210,000 in awards for selected feature film projects.

June 10, 2026

Festivals

Cannes 2026 announces winners

The 79th Cannes Film Festival concluded with a winners list that reaffirmed the festival’s long-standing appetite for politically charged storytelling, formally adventurous cinema and emerging filmmakers from outside the traditional centres of world cinema.

June 7, 2026

Festivals

Nepali Film Makes Cannes History with Jury Prize Win

Nepali cinema marked a historic breakthrough at the 79th Cannes Film Festival as Elephants in the Fog (Tiniharu), directed by Abinash Bikram Shah, became the first Nepali feature film to win a major prize at the festival.

June 7, 2026

Festivals

FTII Student Film Heads to Cannes’ La Cinef

Parchaave Massiah Raatan De (Shadows of the Moonless Nights), directed by FTII student Mehar Malhotra, has been selected for the prestigious La Cinef section, Cannes’ competitive programme dedicated to emerging filmmakers from film schools around the world.

June 7, 2026