Mumbai – 7th November 2025

The 19th edition of WAVES Film Bazaar, organized by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), will take place from November 20–24, 2025, alongside the prestigious International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Returning to the Marriott Resort, the Viewing Room 2025 promises an enriched lineup of high-quality films, reaffirming WAVES Film Bazaar’s position as South Asia’s leading global film market.

A Global Platform for Collaboration

WAVES Film Bazaar serves as a vital meeting ground for South Asian and international filmmakers, producers, sales agents, and festival programmers, fostering creative and financial partnerships. Over four days, the event is dedicated to discovering, supporting, and promoting South Asian content and talent across filmmaking, production, and distribution, while also encouraging the sales of world cinema within the South Asian region.

Viewing Room 2025 Highlights

The Viewing Room, a restricted-access zone, connects Sellers (filmmakers) with vetted Buyers (programmers, distributors, world sales agents, and investors) from around the world. Buyers can browse detailed film information and directly contact filmmakers through a customized Viewing Room software, accessible from November 21–24.

This year’s Viewing Room will feature an impressive lineup of 230 entries in 33 languages from 14 countries, including 85 world premieres.

The WAVES Film Bazaar Recommends (WFBR) section highlights films handpicked by the Film Bazaar programming team, celebrating contemporary storytelling styles and innovative cinematic voices from the Viewing Room submissions.

This year’s WAVES Film Bazaar Recommends (WFBR) section showcases 22 films—comprising 3 short fiction films, 3 mid-length documentaries, and 16 fiction feature films, representing 14 languages and 4 countries, and spotlighting several debut directors. The lineup also includes a returning project ‘Notun Gur’, a project that has garnered acclaim at prestigious international labs such as the Asia Pacific Screen Lab, Produire au Sud, and the Film Independent Global Media Makers Los Angeles Residency. Also presented is The Ink Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb, produced by Anupama Chopra and made through the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity. This project was previously showcased as a Work-in-Progress at HKIFF Industry - HAF.

To enhance user experience, buyers can filter titles by parameters such as duration, language, stage of completion, film type, and festival history. A comprehensive Viewing Room catalogue will be distributed to all registered delegates and made available on the official website prior to the event.

Work-in-Progress (WIP) Lab 2025

The Work-in-Progress Lab 2025 received 50 entries in 14 languages from 7 countries. Of these, five films have been selected, representing three languages, including one India–Australia co-production, ‘Chevittorma,’ and ‘Khoriya,’ backed by Ashim Ahluwalia (known for Daddy, Miss Lovely among others).

This year’s esteemed WIP Lab mentors include Philippa Campbell, Sandrine Cassidy, Kiki Fung, Nitin Baid, and Sanyukta Kaza.

The WIP Lab provides selected filmmakers the invaluable opportunity to screen rough cuts of their films before an international panel of advisors—including festival directors, producers, editors, and critics—who provide expert feedback to help refine their final cuts. Each project is also paired with an international editor for two dedicated sessions in the Editing sessions.

Since its inception in 2007, the WIP Lab has nurtured numerous acclaimed films that have gone on to premiere at major international film festivals — including Shape of Momo (WIP 2024), which went on to win the HAF Goes to Cannes Award,  two awards at the Busan International Film Festival 2025 and screened at the San Sebastian International Film Festival

Selected Films – WIP Lab 2025:

●     Khoriya – Director: Vishwendra Singh

●     Azhi – Director: Hessa Salih

●     Chevittorma – Director: Leo Thaddeus

●     Ustad Bantoo – Director: Arsh Jain

●     Yarsa Gambu – Director: Mohan Belwal

Selected Films – WFBR 2025:

●     Pigeon Chess – Director: Viveka Deol

●     Echoes of the Herd – Director: Dipankar Jain

●     Kichukhon – Director: Banamali Sarkar

●     Khamosh Nazar Aate Hain – Director: Tejas Shankar Shukul

●     Born Yesterday – Director: Raj Rajan

●     Like a Feather in the Wind – Director: Chahat Mansingka

●     Aakkaatti – Director: Jai Laxmii

●     Aakuti – Director: Snigdha P. Roy

●     Yapom Jonam – Director: Sounak Kar

●     Chingam – Director: Abhay Sharma

●     Gulab – Director: Samarth Puri

●     Ricard Dance – Director: Shihab Ongallur

●     Mappillai – Director: Jayakrishnan Subramanian

●     The Ink Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb – Director: Yashasvi Juyal

●     Umesh – Director: Vardhan V. Kamat

●     Notun Gur – Director: Deyali Mukherjee

●     Maaybaapache Aashirwaad – Director: Apurva Bardapurkar

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Harshral Akude/Parshuram Kor

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