Waterfront Indie Film Festival Mumbai 2025 launched with a curtain raiser at NGMA, celebrating independent cinema with industry leaders, cultural icons, and filmmakers, setting the stage for a dynamic movement of storytelling and community. The #Newsdesk reports.

The Waterfront Indie Film Festival (WIFF) Mumbai 2025 made a powerful debut with its curtain raiser at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, hosted by AVID Learning. Featuring celebrated voices like Shoojit Sircar, Rajat Kapoor, Sridhar Rangayan, Deepa Gahlot, and moderator Richa Chadha, the discussion “Independent Cinema: Curating for Change” highlighted both the challenges and promise of indie filmmaking. Honoured guests including Pia Benegal, Siddharth Kak, Dolly Thakore, Nirupma Kotru, and SMM Ausaja joined the evening, alongside the gracious support of NGMA Director Nidhi Choudhari. With founders Vinta Nanda, Deepa Gahlot, and Avneesh Mishra leading the initiative, WIFF Mumbai 2025 positions itself as a global yet hyperlocal platform for filmmakers, cinephiles, and cultural communities to engage, collaborate, and celebrate the power of independent cinema.

The inaugural edition of the Waterfront Indie Film Festival (WIFF) Mumbai 2025 was officially launched on the evening of September 25th with a curtain raiser event at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai. Hosted by AVID Learning, the evening brought together some of the most important voices in Indian cinema alongside a house full of cultural leaders, filmmakers, and cinephiles. WIFF is supported by the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (TRIS) as the knowledge and education partner. 

For WIFF’s founders — Vinta Nanda (Executive Director), Deepa Gahlot (Festival Director), and Avneesh Mishra (Co-Founder) — the evening was nothing short of a dream realized. “We started out as a conversation, never imagining it would bring us here,” said Gahlot. “WIFF is not just about cinema; it is about community, courage, and the joy of creating something that belongs to us all,” said Vinta. The fourth founder, Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, was missed as he wasn’t able to make it to Mumbai from Delhi.

NGMA’s Gracious Host  

The choice of venue lent the occasion a special aura. NGMA is not only one of Mumbai’s most iconic cultural spaces but also a symbol of preservation and artistic continuity. Its Director, Ms. Nidhi Choudhari, embodied that spirit with her warmth. She welcomed each guest, lingering in conversations, and even recalled how Siddharth Kak’s legendary television series Surabhi had shaped her imagination while growing up. “It was a program that captivated a whole generation,” she told the producer and presenter, drawing nods from those around her.

Later, she enchanted the gathering with stories of the ongoing restorations and renovations at NGMA, emphasizing her commitment to safeguarding the museum for future generations. Her presence gave the festival team renewed confidence. “Her support means the world,” said Asad Lalljee, Founder of AVID Learning and host for the evening.

A House Full of Luminaries

The evening was attended by a remarkable line-up of cultural figures. Pia Benegal, Dolly Thakore, Nirupma Kotru, SMM Ausaja, Shanti Bhushan Roy, Mudit Singhal, Mahi Kumar, Praba Mahajan, Janhavi Samant, Kabeer Khurana and many others filled the front rows. Nirupma Kotru, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax Mumbai, was seen in an animated conversation with Siddharth Kak, and later joined Shoojit Sircar for a discussion on the future of independent cinema.

Rajat Kapoor arrived early, using the extra time to stroll leisurely along Colaba Causeway before the event. And then there was Richa Chadha, the evening’s moderator, who quietly took her seat behind the registration desk while waiting for the program to begin rather than entering with fanfare, asking the festival organisers which questions might spark the most engaging conversation. Her approach set the tone for what turned out to be one of the most lucid and free-flowing panels of recent memory.

Independent Cinema: Curating for Change

The panel — titled Independent Cinema: Curating for Change — brought together Shoojit Sircar, Rajat Kapoor, Sridhar Rangayan, and Deepa Gahlot, with Chadha steering the conversation. She opened by asking the panellists for their impressions of independent cinema.

“It requires an investment — or rather, a sacrifice — of all resources,” said Shoojit Sircar, reflecting the constant balancing act indie filmmakers face. Sridhar Rangayan, speaking from his own experience, added, “It’s even tougher when your work is both independent and LGBTQ. You face not just funding challenges but also societal resistance.” His words were a reminder of why festivals like WIFF are necessary: they create space for voices that otherwise struggle to be heard.

Rajat Kapoor admitted candidly that the lack of audiences for his films once left him depressed. “I had to recover by doing a play or acting,” he said. Yet he continues to return to independent cinema, even when its rewards are uncertain. Sircar lightened the mood with a wry observation: “In some cinemas in Kolkata, they had a bar attached, so at least audiences could have a drink before or after the film,” he joked, before lamenting how indie cinema in Kolkata, the city of Ray and Ghatak, has nearly vanished.

Deepa Gahlot spoke of her recent visit to Kerala, where cinema is “a way of life” and theatres rarely go empty. “It is so culturally intrinsic to the state,” she said. “In Mumbai, we desperately need something similar — a dedicated space for independent cinema.” The panel agreed, noting that nearly every city in the world has art-house cinemas, yet Mumbai has not revived one since the days of Akashwani Theatre.

Chadha then shifted the conversation to hope. “Indian filmmakers are increasingly winning awards abroad,” she observed, adding that Karan Johar producing Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound could signal mainstream support for indie storytelling. But as Rajat Kapoor cautioned, “An idea needs free space to grow,” he said. “An industry driven by profits is the antithesis of that process.”

A Festival in the Making

For the WIFF founders, the discussion captured exactly why the festival exists. “Immersion in diverse stories teaches us as artists and as human beings,” said Avneesh Mishra. “WIFF is here to offer that immersion — across genres, across generations.”

Program Director Saagar Gupta stressed the need for platforms that don’t filter or dilute voices: “Independent cinema thrives when filmmakers are given the space to tell their stories without compromise”.

And for Deepa Gahlot, the festival is the continuation of a long journey: “We began with small monthly screenings, conversations at cafés, and slowly, the discourse grew. To see it come alive here at NGMA is deeply moving.”

Hosted with Care

The curtain raiser itself was a testament to the collaborative spirit of the festival. Asad Lalljee of AVID Learning hosted the evening with warmth and wit, while his colleagues Aliya and Sagar Bhagat ensured that every guest was looked after. Together with the WIFF team, they interacted with the celebrity guests ensuring the evening flowed seamlessly.

As the showreel was finally unveiled, showcasing the vision of WIFF 2025, applause filled the auditorium. For many in the audience, it was clear this was more than the launch of a festival — it was the beginning of a cultural movement.

By the time the evening closed, the energy in the NGMA auditorium was palpable. Independent cinema may face challenges — lack of distribution, shrinking spaces, and an industry driven by mainstream profits — but it also carries with it the power of process and discovery.

As Vinta Nanda summed it up: “This journey sometimes feels surreal. But it is real — made possible by every supporter, participant, and dreamer who has walked with us. WIFF belongs to all of us, and to the stories that must be told.”

With such a start, WIFF Mumbai 2025 promises to be a community, a conversation, and a movement for independent cinema in India.