Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 30 (ANI): The 14th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival kick-started with hundreds of cinema enthusiasts gathering at Dharamshala from around the world, with India’s official Oscar entry ‘Homebound’ lighting up the screen as the opening night film on Thursday.
Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’, starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, received an overwhelming response at the DIFF 2025, with long queues spotted outside the screening venues today.
India’s official Oscar entry was screened at three venues, including the Hermann Gmeiner Hall and two inflatable digital theatres set up by PictureTime at the basketball court and football ground of the picturesque Tibetan Children’s Village in Upper Dharamshala.
Due to the ongoing preparation for the film’s Oscar journey, Neeraj Ghaywan was not present during the screening at the festival.
However, through a press note shared by the DIFF team, Neeraj Ghaywan expressed his happiness for the “overwhelming response” to his film at the film festival.
“It’s truly special to see Homebound open DIFF 2025 to such an overwhelming response! I’ve had a long-standing affection for this festival since I came to show my debut film, Masaan, and it’s heart-warming to see the same passion from audiences who queue up for hours just for the love of cinema,” said Neeraj Ghaywan as quoted in a press note.
“There’s an honesty and intimacy to DIFF that’s rare – it celebrates independent voices with such sincerity. Even though I couldn’t be there in person, to know that the film resonated with viewers in that beautiful setting means the world to me. Festivals like DIFF keep the spirit of meaningful storytelling alive, and I’m deeply grateful to be part of that journey again,” the filmmaker added.
However, India’s Homebound was not the only film which hogged the spotlight at the festival.
Long before the opening-night screening began, audiences had already begun queuing up eagerly to watch the film, which follows a heartbreaking story of friendship and loss.
One of them was a Chinese film, “Brief History of a Family,” which showcased how “a tragic incident complicated the lives of two best friends, putting their past wounds and present anxieties under the microscope,” according to the movie’s synopsis.
Jianjie Lin directed it.
Along with feature films, several documentaries were also screened at the 14th edition of DIFF.
One of them was ‘Cutting Through Rocks’, which narrated the story of the first elected councilwoman of a deeply conservative Iranian village. Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni directed it.
Festival Directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, who have been curating this cinematic celebration in the Himalayan foothills for 14 years, said the festival continues to champion pathbreaking cinema from around the world while nurturing a meaningful space where artists and audiences connect over a shared love for film art.
“It’s always amazing for us to reach this point and realise that yet another edition of DIFF is underway! Every edition of DIFF has been special, and this one is no different. We have a wonderful selection of films this year, and more filmmakers than ever before are coming, and that makes us very happy because DIFF is all about celebrating indie cinema,” they said in a joint statement as quoted in a press note.
Other glorious film screenings included titles like ‘The Love That Remains’, ‘Victoria’, ‘By the Stream’, ‘Angammal’, ‘Bird of a Different Feather’, ‘Loving Karma’ and ‘The Love That Remains’.
This year’s edition is currently taking place at TCV and will continue till November 2. (ANI)
