Indian Film Festival of L.A. 2026 announces film lineup with Mahesh Narayanan’s PATRIOT making a big Opening Night splash
The 2026 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) has announced the film and events lineup for its highly anticipated 24th edition. IFFLA is set to take place April 23-26, 2026. Passes and Tickets go on sale on March 19 at www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Recognized worldwide as a leading platform for South Asian cinema in the U.S., IFFLA celebrates that work, while also shining a spotlight on new voices and helping film artists take vital next steps in their careers by connecting them with key industry professionals. IFFLA opens with Mahesh Narayanan’s Malayalam thriller Patriot, one of the most anticipated Indian films of 2026, bringing together the towering legends Mohanlal and Mammootty, on screen again after 18 years, in a gripping, star-studded ensemble. The festival will close with Anusha Rizvi’s The Great Shamsuddin Family, a razor-sharp social satire set in Delhi and her long-awaited follow-up to Peepli Live.
This year IFFLA will feature 27 films, including seven narrative features, two documentary features, and 18 short films. Countries represented include India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, France, the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the USA.
Anu Rangachar, IFFLA’s Artistic Director, said, “Apart from our impressive galas, the program travels across South Asia, from Bangladesh’s meditative Sand City to Pakistan’s emerging new wave with the haunting Ghost School and the visually arresting Lali. Alongside Indian stories like Shape of Momo and Venice-winner Songs of Forgotten Trees, this year’s lineup reflects a remarkable surge of women filmmakers across the subcontinent and the diasporas, something we are very proud to champion. Two intimate diaspora documentaries, Karla Murthy’s The Gas Station Attendant, and Ben Rekhi and Swetlana’s Breaking the Code, round out the selection with deeply personal tributes to their fathers.”
The film festival’s highly impactful IFFLA Industry Days returns bigger and better than ever before – including panels, masterclasses, screenings, and pitch finalists, with details to be announced in the coming weeks. This is a forum offering South Asian film and TV creatives opportunities to build meaningful connections with industry leaders and the chance to win a $10,000 Pitch Competition Development Grant. The forum also offers IFFLA Connect, a unique program that links standout projects from South Asia and its diasporas to key industry professionals, offering support across financing, production, casting, and beyond.
Anjay Nagpal, IFFLA’s Executive Director, said, “Each year IFFLA puts the spotlight on the brilliant breadth and scope of South Asian storytelling. We look forward to bringing another exciting group of filmmakers together with the Los Angeles audiences and industry vets eager to see their new work. This curated connection is what makes IFFLA such a vital and unmissable event.”
IFFLA kicks off with the U.S. Premiere of Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot. With combats and chases, secret missions and covert operatives, death threats and assassination attempts, the film is an-edge-of-the-seat espionage thriller. Packed with a high voltage, star-spangled ensemble, it is led by the two icons of Malayalam cinema—Mohanlal and Mammootty—who come together on screen again after 18 years.
Closing the film festival is the North American Premiere of Anusha Rizvi’s witty, tightly written social satire, The Great Shamsuddin Family. Set over the course of a single day inside a Delhi apartment, the film centers around Bani, a writer racing to meet a crucial deadline while managing her family’s escalating turmoil. Rizvi brilliantly turns domestic chaos into a microcosm of modern India, balancing humor and heartbreak while crafting a tapestry of generational tension, urban neurosis and female resilience.
The narrative features lineup includes impressive filmmaking debuts and award winners. Seemab Gul’s Ghost School is a deeply poignant and acutely observed directorial feature debut from an IFFLA alum. The film tells the haunting story of a ten-year-old girl Rabia moving through the cracks of a broken system with a steady courage that the adults around her seem to have lost when rumor breaks out that a jinn has possessed her teacher and now haunts her school. Mahde Hasan’s spectacular debut Sand City is set in the unforgiving metropolis of Dhaka, where a young woman from the indigenous minority and an ambitious factory worker, two strangers harboring repressed desires and fantasies, find themselves connected by the city’s endless and shifting sand. The film won the Proxima Grand Prix at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Tribeny Rai’s Shape of Momo, which has been making waves around the world, will have its North American premiere at IFFLA. The film tells the story of a young woman who, after quitting her job in Delhi, returns to her ancestral home in a remote Himalayan village, where she must negotiate the traditional expectations that have long defined the women around her.
Also making its North American Premiere at IFFLA will be the darkly comic Lali, directed by Sarmad Khoosat who has long been one of Pakistan’s most distinctive voices. Coming from a deeply personal space, this film tells the story of a newlywed couple caught between love and destiny and paints a quietly unsettling portrait of a family carrying wounds that refuse to heal. Yet another impressive debut is Anuparna Roy’s Songs of Forgotten Trees which follows two young migrant women who develop an unlikely bond as they strive to survive Mumbai’s urban sprawl. The film garnered Roy the Best Director Award at the Venice Film Festival.
Karla Murthy’s documentary The Gas Station Attendant is an intimate portrait of an immigrant father’s journey from the streets of India to the realities of life in America, woven from archival footage and recorded phone conversations between the filmmaker and her father while he worked the nightshift as a gas station attendant. The film won Best Documentary at the Nashville Film Festival, and a Special Mention at Sheffield DocFest. Making its world premiere during a special presentation screening, Ben Rekhi and Swetlana’s documentary Breaking The Code is a deeply personal story where Rekhi retraces his father’s path from a modest childhood in newly independent India to his rise as a tech pioneer in Silicon Valley — a powerful story of migration, sacrifice and love that broke the glass ceiling for Indians in America.
The dynamic short film program, which this year features work by 13 female directors, includes the world premiere of Nihaarika Negi’s sweeping Tenfa, produced by Storiculture who previously also produced the acclaimed Humans in the Loop (IFFLA 2025). Working closely with the local Kinnauri community, this intergenerational tale follows an unlikely trio of women as they cross a remote Himalayan landscape in search of an endangered herb that could save a mother’s life, guided by a forgotten folk song. Also making its world premiere, Fatima Liaqat’s Plain Folks is a comedy horror story about a Pakistani freshman in Utah, whose dream of a perfect all-American college party turns into a nightmare. Permanent Guest, directed by Joyland co-producer Sana Zahra Jafri, is a riveting psychological thriller about a young woman in Lahore who must weigh her familial duty against her growing rage when she’s paid a visit by an unwanted uncle. Making its North American premiere, Hidden Sun, by Girls Will Be Girls (IFFLA 2024) director Shuchi Talati, is an stirring drama about a discontent couple whose desire for each other is reawakened when they cross paths with a flamenco dancer.
Shorts having their Los Angeles premieres at IFFLA after gaining recognition at major international film festivals include the Queer Palm award-winner at Cannes Critics’ Week Bleat!, by Ananth Subramaniam, a surreal comedy about a Malaysian-Tamil couple whose male goat turns out to be pregnant; the Cannes Special Mention winner Ali, by Adnan Al Rajeev, a haunting Bangladeshi film about a young singer who must hide his true voice for a chance to move to the city; and straight from its premiere at Sundance, O’Sey Balamma by Raman Nimmala, a soulful story about the unexpected bond between a matriarch and her housekeeper as they confront solitude.
The festival has a robust selection of films by California and local filmmakers, including the world premieres of Harvest Party At Camp Two by Rajan Gill and Reaa Pur, a compelling documentary about Punjabi farmworkers in 1980s small-town America; Peanut by Sheila Sawhny, a heartfelt tale about second chances; Urvashi Pathania’ Skin, a surreal horror tale about a young woman trapped in the treacherous machinery of toxic beauty standards; Katti by Kanishka Aggarwal, about an eight-year-old girl grappling with the first sting of gender bias and sibling rivalry; and the North American premiere of Radha Mehta’s Sūnna, a tender mother-daughter story set in the world of classical Indian music.
IFFLA 2026 is supported in part by the Joy of Sharing Foundation, Tarsadia Foundation, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and additional sponsors.
For more information and to purchase passes and tickets, visit www.indianfilmfestival.org. Follow IFFLA on Facebook (/indianfilmfestival), Instagram (@indianfilmfestival), and X (formerly Twitter) (@iffla).
Official Selections for 2026 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA)
GALA PRESENTATIONS
Opening Night Presention
Patriot US Premiere
Director: Mahesh Narayanan
Country: India; Running Time: 172 min
A top-tier researcher uncovers an illegal use of a high-level surveillance asset, triggering a national manhunt that transforms him from a patriot into a fugitive.
Closing Night Presentation
The Great Shamsuddin Family North American Premiere
Director: Anusha Rizvi
Country: India; Running Time: 97 min
A writer faces her most important deadline while her house erupts in family chaos, forcing her to juggle a 12-hour writing sprint with an unfolding domestic emergency.
ADDITIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES
Ghost School
Director: Seemab Gul
Countries: Pakistan/Germany/Saudi Arabia; Running Time: 88 min
When ten-year-old Rabia finds her village school closed, rumors erupt that a jinn has possessed her teacher and now haunts the school.
Lali North American Premiere
Director: Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
Country: Pakistan, Running Time: 116 min
In a darkly comic spiral of desire and superstition, Zeba and Sajawal find their arranged union—and their very bodies—warped by an inescapable, blood-soaked fate.
Sand City
Director: Mahde Hasan
Country: Bangladesh; Running Time: 99 min
In the unforgiving metropolis of Dhaka, a young woman from the indigenous minority and an ambitious factory worker, two strangers harboring repressed desires and fantasies, find themselves connected by the city’s endless, shifting sand.
Shape of Momo North American Premiere
Director: Tribeny Rai
Country: India; Running Time: 115 min
In a remote Himalayan village, three generations of women navigate the tensions of tradition, the quiet stirrings of change, and the complexities and joys of their intertwined lives.
Songs of Forgotten Trees
Director: Anuparna Roy
Country: India; Running Time: 77 min
Amid the relentless pulse of Mumbai, two young migrant women striving to survive find themselves sharing not only space, but also an unexpected bond that reshapes both their journeys.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Breaking The Code World Premiere/Special Presentation
Directors: Ben Rekhi, Swetlana
Countries: USA/India; Running Time: 81 min
A son retraces his father’s journey from Indian immigrant to tech pioneer, uncovering a powerful story of migration, sacrifice, and love that broke the glass ceiling for Indians in America.
The Gas Station Attendant
Director: Karla Murthy
Country: United States; Running Time: 83 min
A daughter reflects on her father’s remarkable and tumultuous journey from the streets of India to the realities of life in America, weaving archival footage with recorded phone conversations they had while he worked the nightshift as a gas station attendant.
SHORT FILMS
Ali
Director: Adnan Al Rajeev
Countries: Bangladesh/Philippines; Running Time: 15 min
In a coastal town where women are not allowed to sing, a teenager must hide his true voice for a chance to move to the city.
Bleat!
Director: Ananth Subramaniam
Countries: Malaysia/Philippines/France; Running Time: 15 min
An elderly Malaysian-Tamil couple discovers their male goat, set for ceremonial slaughter, is pregnant. Torn between faith and the expectations of their community, they struggle to decide whether to slaughter it or face the wrath of the gods.
Dekho (Look) North American Premiere
Director: Manjinder Virk
Country: UK; Running Time: 18 min
Ten-year-old Arjun’s world unravels when his grandmother, who suffers from dementia, unexpectedly moves in, competing for his mother’s attention.
Harvest Party At Camp Two World Premiere
Directors: Rajan Gill, Reaa Pur
Country: USA; Running Time: 16 mins
Director(s): Rajan Gill, Reaa Pur
Summer in Northern California in the 1980s is a time of race wars and rock’n’roll. Unable to attend their local prom, the Punjabi farmworkers throw the biggest party their small town has ever seen.
Hidden Sun North American Premiere
Director: Shuchi Talati
Country: Japan; Running Time: 24 min
An encounter with a Japanese flamenco dancer rattles the stagnant rhythms of a middle-aged couple, unearthing suppressed emotion and reawakening desire.
Katti
Director: Kanishka Aggarwal
Countries: USA/India; Running Time: 14 min
In a bustling Indian household celebrating a long-awaited baby boy, an eight-year-old girl grapples with the first sting of gender bias and the emotional turbulence of sibling rivalry.
O’Sey Balamma
Director: Raman Nimmala
Country: India; Running Time: 13 min
During the Sankranti festival celebrations, a matriarch and her housekeeper confront solitude through the intimacy of each other’s company.
Pakka
Director: Iniyavan Elumalai
Country: Netherlands; Running Time: 18 min
When the captain of an all-gay male cricket team announces he is leaving the Netherlands to marry a woman in India, the precious bond amongst four friends is put to the test.
Peanut World Premiere
Director: Sheila Sawhny
Country: USA; Running Time: 10 min
In a moment of despair, a middle-aged man finds himself alone in the woods, where he discovers the strangest of offerings.
Permanent Guest
Director: Sana Zahra Jafri
Country: Pakistan; Running Time: 14 min
Shaken to the core by the unexpected arrival of an unwelcome uncle, a young woman must weigh familial duty against her growing rage.
Plain Folks World Premiere
Director: Fatima Liaqat
Country: USA; Running Time: 13 min
The promise of the perfect all-American college party turns into a nightmare for a Pakistani freshman at a mostly white campus, when she finds herself alone and at odds with a hostile crowd.
Rihanna
Director: Suraj Paudel
Country: Nepal; Running Time: 17 min
In rural Nepal, thirteen-year-old Saraswati changes her name to Rihanna. The school principal scolds and disciplines her for blindly imitating Western culture, but Saraswati wants to prove herself with quiet support from her watchful mother.
Room At The Farm (Khooh Waala Ghar)
Directors: Jasmine Kaur Roy, Avinash Roy
Country: India; Running Time: 23 min
A vicious debt trap and the imminent fear of losing his land prevent a newly married young farmer from expressing his love for his wife.
Ruse
Director: Rhea Shukla
Country: India; Running Time: 9 min
On a rainy afternoon, three adolescent girls find themselves in the middle of a dance that takes on a life of its own—urging forth a sense of desire they can’t yet name.
Skin
Director: Urvashi Pathania
Country: USA; Running Time: 12 min
Feeling insecure about her dark skin and defying her sister’s objections, a young woman visits a glamorous skin bleaching clinic, only to find herself trapped in its treacherous machinery.
Sulaimani
Director: Vinnie Ann Bose
Country: France; Running Time: 20 min
One evening in Paris, two strangers, both young women from Kerala, find themselves in an Indian restaurant where the sights, sounds, and smells take them on a journey of bittersweet memories of their uprooting and emancipation.
Sūnna North American Premiere
Director: Radha Mehta
Country: USA; Running Time: 13 min
When sudden hearing loss shatters her identity, a young Indian musician is left in silence until the echoes of memory, touch, and culture help her reclaim music and herself.
Tenfa World Premiere
Director: Nihaarika Negi
Country: India; Running Time: 30 min
When a childbirth goes awry, a midwife, a grandmother, and a teenager embark on a journey across a remote Himalayan landscape scarred by ecological destruction. To save the mother’s life, they must find an endangered indigenous herb, with an old folksong as their only guide.