The 19th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) is leaning into global festival discovery, with its 2026 programme featuring titles that have travelled through Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Berlinale and Rotterdam.
Leading the line-up is opening film Time and Water, the latest documentary from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sara Dosa (Fire of Love). Screening as an India premiere after debuting at Sundance 2026, the Iceland-set documentary explores climate loss, memory, and family through the story of disappearing glaciers and personal archives.
Among the festival’s strongest Indian titles is Turtle Walker, director Taira Malaney’s documentary on conservationist Satish Bhaskar’s decades-long mission to protect sea turtles across India’s coastline and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Produced by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, the film arrives after screenings at DOC NYC and the Jackson Wild Media Awards, making it one of the programme’s most notable Indian nonfiction entries.
Another significant Indian selection is A Doll Made Up of Clay, Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay’s short fiction film about a Nigerian footballer stranded in India after a career-ending injury. The film arrives at MIFF following its world premiere in the La Cinef section at the Cannes Film Festival, giving the programme a direct connection to one of cinema’s most important launchpads for emerging filmmakers.
MIFF also includes The Other Side, a US-India short set in the lanes of Lucknow’s Chowk market. Directed by Nikita Hattangady, the film follows a young street artist forced to choose between personal ambition and moral responsibility. The title enters MIFF after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), adding further festival prestige to the line-up.
Internationally, the festival brings several acclaimed titles to Indian audiences. Lloyd Wong, Unfinished arrives after its Berlinale premiere and Teddy Award win, while Kleptomania comes to Mumbai following its Rotterdam premiere. Czech-Slovak animated feature Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe! will receive an international premiere after screening at Berlinale 2026, underlining MIFF’s increasing focus on global animation and short-form cinema.
Spread across competitions, curated strands and gala sections, MIFF 2026 appears increasingly aligned with the international festival circuit, bringing films with major festival pedigrees to Indian audiences often months before wider access becomes possible.
