Independent Film Project (IFP) marks its fifteenth anniversary with a festival that embodies its core ethos: Creativity × Culture. Over the years, IFP has evolved into one of India’s most dynamic creative gatherings, and its Season 15 edition promises to be its most expansive yet. Scheduled for November 29 and 30 at Mumbai’s iconic Mehboob Studios, the festival brings together innovators across film, music, design, writing, photography, advertising, podcasting, gaming, tech, food, and digital storytelling.
The two-day event will offer conversations, masterclasses, performances, workshops, and immersive cultural experiences — all designed to reflect how contemporary creators think, collaborate, and build narratives. Season 15 is set to be a vibrant confluence of ideas and artistic experimentation, featuring voices that continue to shape India’s creative ecosystem.
This year’s line-up features some of the most compelling names in cinema and the arts. Announced guests include Siddhant Chaturvedi, Adarsh Gourav, Hansal Mehta, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Robert B. Weide, Vasan Bala, Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Abhishek Bachchan, Shoojit Sircar, Shahid Kapoor, Parvathy Thiruvothu, and Richa Chadha. With such diverse perspectives and creative styles, the festival promises to spark conversations that will resonate far beyond the two-day celebration.
Abhishek Bachchan, who returns to the festival this year, expressed his enthusiasm for his session titled Becoming Arjun. “Arjun from I Want to Talk is a character who has stayed with me,” he said. “It will be great fun to sit with Shoojit Sircar and pull apart how we built him. IFP has always been a space where creators feel at home, and it’s great to be part of that community this year.”
Celebrity chef and actor Ranveer Brar will also take the stage with a session titled Food of the Future Past. Reflecting on the theme, he shared, “I’ve always been drawn to the stories behind things—where they start, how they change, and the memories that shape them. This session lets me revisit what we grew up with, left behind, and now want to return to. There’s a quiet poetry in that journey.”
The festival will further spotlight new-age creators in a panel moderated by Shamani Joshi, featuring Raja Kumari, Mae Thomas, Hariharan, Akshay Hariharan, Tarsame Mittal, Dino James, and Agam Walia.
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Over the years, IFP has hosted luminaries such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Schulman, Alexander Payne, Mira Nair, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Tripathi, Javed Akhtar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao, Imran Khan, Shabana Azmi, Vicky Kaushal, Taapsee Pannu, and Sonakshi Sinha a testament to its place as a creative hub that continues to grow in influence and ambition.
