WIFF Mumbai 2026: 150 Films, an Aparna Sen Retrospective and a Mahasweta Devi Centenary at the Waterfront Indie Film Festival
Versova has always been a little apart from the rest of Mumbai's film industry. It is close enough to the studios to be useful and far enough from them to keep habits of its own. Strugglers, writers, editors and the occasional established director share its cafés and its rents. If any neighbourhood in the city is suited to an independent film festival, it is this one.
So it is fitting that the Waterfront Indie Film Festival, known as WIFF Mumbai, returns there for its second edition, from 30 November to 6 December 2026.
A note on disclosure: AltBollywood is a media partner for WIFF Mumbai 2026. This article reports the festival's own published programme, and the opinions in it are mine.
The programme at a glance
The festival promises 150 films across seven days, drawn, according to its announcements, from 25 countries. The headline strands are these:
An Aparna Sen Retrospective
A Mahasweta Devi Centenary Showcase
A French Classic Cinema Showcase
Indigenous film packages
Masterclasses, workshops, industry conversations and filmmaker interactions, alongside a literature strand
Where and how
Screenings and sessions are spread across four venues: Third Bell Studios, Versova Social, Silk Road Cafe in Aram Nagar, Versova, and PVR at Citi Mall, Andheri West.
Registration is through the ThumpN platform, and the festival says early-bird registration is open until 16 November, with redeemable offers attached. The organisers' line is a good one: "Don't just watch independent cinema. Be part of its community."
Why the retrospective matters
Aparna Sen is one of those filmmakers whose reputation is secure and whose films are, oddly, not easy to see on a big screen. From 36 Chowringhee Lane to Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, her work has a rare combination of intimacy and moral seriousness. A retrospective is not merely a tribute. It is a chance for a younger audience to encounter, in the proper conditions, a body of work they may know only by title.
The Mahasweta Devi centenary showcase is similarly timely. The writer was born in 1926, and her fiction, fierce in its attention to the dispossessed, has been adapted for the screen more than once. Placing her work alongside a programme of indigenous cinema is a thoughtful piece of curation. It allows the films to speak to one another.
Who is behind it
The festival grows out of The Daily Eye, and its team includes festival director Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, executive director Vinta Nanda and programming director Anupama Bose, according to the festival's website. That is a team with long roots in Indian film writing and production, and it shows in the shape of the programme, which pairs cinema with literature and pairs screenings with conversation.
A small argument for small festivals
Mumbai is not short of film events. What it is short of are rooms in which independent work can meet its audience without the pressure of an opening weekend. A festival of this size, spread across a café, a social venue, a studio and a multiplex, offers exactly that.
The question for any second edition is whether it can become a habit. That depends less on the programme, which is strong, than on whether the city turns up. Versova, at least, has never needed much persuading.
For another festival story, read our report on the Banaras Film Festival 2026.
Frequently asked questions
When is WIFF Mumbai 2026?
The Waterfront Indie Film Festival runs from 30 November to 6 December 2026 in Mumbai.
Where is WIFF Mumbai 2026 held?
Screenings and sessions take place at Third Bell Studios, Versova Social, Silk Road Cafe in Aram Nagar, Versova, and PVR at Citi Mall, Andheri West.
How do I register for WIFF Mumbai 2026?
Registration is through the ThumpN platform. Early-bird registration is open until 16 November 2026.
What are the highlights of WIFF Mumbai 2026?
Highlights include an Aparna Sen retrospective, a Mahasweta Devi centenary showcase, French classic films, indigenous film packages, masterclasses and industry sessions.
Kenneth Hopkins is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AltBollywood. Indofuturist, posthumanist and unapologetically Indocentric, he describes himself as an epimemeticist, a swaraji, a freakonomist, a lexicographer and a cartochronicler, mapping the ideas, words and quiet shifts that shape Indian entertainment. Follow him on Instagram at @kennethhopkins.
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