#IFFIWood, 21 November 2025

The International Film Festival of India, brought together diplomats for an Ambassadors’ Roundtable held today at the Taj Cidade de Goa Heritage Hotel, Dona Paula. The session explored new pathways to advance bilateral audio-visual cooperation, with a focus on co-production opportunities, creative-economy growth, and deeper cultural exchange.

Conceived as a space for dialogue between India and partner nations, the roundtable centred around emerging possibilities in filmmaking, technology partnerships, and regulatory harmonisation that can strengthen global creative ecosystems. The discussion focused on unlocking economic value through co-production treaties, fostering cultural and technological exchange, easing regulatory challenges for filmmakers abroad, and building a more interconnected creative landscape.

Delivering the welcome remarks in the roundtable Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, highlighted India’s rapidly expanding media environment and its growing appeal as a production hub.

He noted that the roundtable would “help in strengthening cultural ties and deepening partnerships,” while emphasising the country’s multilingual talent pool and its emergence as a “studio of the world, where global stories can be imagined, produced, and shared.”

Jaju underlined India’s strengths, ranging from diverse filming locations to advanced animation and VFX studios, and invited delegates to explore the opportunities available at the WAVES Film Bazaar, IFFI’s flagship platform. He stressed that partnering with India provides access to an expansive global diaspora, enabling stories to travel seamlessly across cultures and markets.

In his special address, Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, who chaired the roundtable, positioned co-production as “the most powerful avenue for strengthening audio-visual cooperation.” He noted that India’s media and entertainment sector is projected to touch USD 31.6 billion in 2025, fuelled by exponential growth in VFX, animation, and next-generation production technologies.

Dr. Murugan highlighted the role of bilateral agreements in enabling joint development ventures, simpler permissions, smoother mobility of talent and resources, and increased creative freedom for filmmakers. He also spoke about India’s strengthened measures against piracy, facilitated through inter-ministerial collaboration with MeiTY, MHA, and the Ministry of Law, ensuring a safer ecosystem for global productions.

Following the ministerial remarks, Shruti Rajkumar, Consultant, NFDC, presented India’s evolving anti-piracy framework before the roundtable. The presentation detailed technological interventions and policy-level mechanisms designed to curb digital leakage and protect content owners.

Ambassadors of Cuba and Nepal, senior diplomats representing Israel, Guyana, Australia, Ireland, Morocco, Togo, and Côte d'Ivoire, participated in the roundtable and shared insights into the film industries in their respective nations.

The dignitaries collectively expressed optimism about collaborating with India’s creative workforce, accessing its technological strengths, and exploring co-production avenues that could mutually enrich their cinematic ecosystems.

The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Shri Rajesh Parihar, Director (XPD), Ministry of External Affairs, who acknowledged the diplomats’ contributions and reaffirmed India’s commitment to fostering a collaborative global audio-visual environment. The Ambassadors’ Roundtable at IFFI 2025 marked a significant step toward building stronger bilateral ties, more vibrant media partnerships, and a shared vision for the future of storytelling.

About IFFI

Born in 1952, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) stands tall as South Asia’s oldest and largest celebration of cinema. Jointly hosted by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), State Government of Goa, the festival has grown into a global cinematic powerhouse—where restored classics meet bold experiments, and legendary maestros share space with fearless first-timers. What makes IFFI truly sparkle is its electric mix—international competitions, cultural showcases, masterclasses, tributes, and the high-energy WAVES Film Bazaar, where ideas, deals and collaborations take flight. Staged against Goa’s stunning coastal backdrop from November 20–28, the 56th edition promises a dazzling spectrum of languages, genres, innovations, and voices—an immersive celebration of India’s creative brilliance on the world stage.

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IFFI Website: https://www.iffigoa.org/

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PIB IFFI CAST AND CREW | Ritu Shukla/Jaydevi PujariSwami/Sreeshma K/Darshana Rane | IFFI 56 - 024