IFFI criticized for all-male jury in Indian Panorama section
What's the story
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has come under fire for selecting an all-male jury for its Indian Panorama section. The festival announced its feature film jury members on Instagram. Actor Raja Bundela heads the panel as chairman, while the other members are Krishna Hebbale, Kamlesh K Mishra, Malay Ray, Subhash Sehgal, and Jadumoni Dutta. Aroon Baksi, Asim Sinha, Ashok Sharan, Sukumar Jatania, BS Basavaraju, Amaresh Chakrabarti, and Napoleon Thanga are also a part of the panel.
Public reaction
'They made a Manel...'
The absence of women on the jury didn't sit well with netizens. One user wrote, "Is there a separate panel for women with women-only feature films with an all-women jury? or... ?" Another commented, "Lack of women in the jury is glaring, do better!" A third user quipped, "Women filmmakers are busy making the headlines, so they felt a little left out hence, they made a Manel!!" Another said, "Do they realize they are wrong?"
Festival details
Everything to know about IFFI 2025
The 56th edition of IFFI will take place in Goa from November 20-28. It will showcase over 240 movies from 81 countries, including 13 world premieres and four international premieres. The festival will also host masterclasses by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Bobby Deol, Aamir Khan, Anupam Kher, and Ravi Varman, among others. Tamil movie Amaran will open the feature category, while Kakori will open the non-feature section. The festival will end with a special ceremony celebrating Rajinikanth's 50-year cinema journey.