A special appearance by Hollywood great Robert De Niro at the 25th annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) made it an event to remember.
The NYIFF concluded the weekend of June 22, packed theaters, resounding applause, emotional premieres, and a red carpet that drew major names from both Indian Cinema and Hollywood.
Taking place June 19–22 at the Village East by Angelika, NYIFF 2025 was the “most successful” edition since its inception, organizers said in a press release.
“This was a monumental year. To have our theaters full, our filmmakers heard, and legends like Robert De Niro join us—it reaffirms that NYIFF continues to be a cultural force for Indian cinema in the US,” festival director Aseem Chhabra is quoted saying in the press release.
Global screen icon De Niro being present at the North American Gala Premiere of Tanvi the Great—directed by his longtime friend Anupam Kher—was one of the most unforgettable moments of the festival. Kher and lead actress Shubhangi drew a full house, as did most screenings of films chosen for their bold, original, and deeply resonant works from India.
“We’re deeply grateful to New York audiences for their energy, generosity, and love. NYIFF is a home for Indian storytellers—and this year, we felt that bond more than ever,” said Suman Gollamudi, executive director of Indo-American Arts Council, IAAC, which organizes the annual event.
High-profile artists including Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rasika Dugal, Rahul Bhat, Anurag Kashyap, Shonali Bose, Nilesh Maniyar and Rituparna Sengupta joined the celebration, along with a majority of the festival’s directors, screenwriters, and producers—many of whom traveled internationally to present their work.
“This festival began with a dream to elevate Indian voices on the global stage. Twenty-five years later, that vision is lighting up America,” said Nirmal Mattoo, chairman of IAAC.
NYIFF 2025 Jury Awards
- Best Film: Angammal, dir. Vipin Radhakrishnan
- Best Debut Film(in collaboration with the Film Critics Circle of India): Humans in the Loop, dir. Aranya Sahay
- Best Director: Rima Das, Village Rockstars 2
- New York Women in Film & Television Excellence in Directing Award: Shonali Bose(A Fly on the Wall) and Rima Das(Village Rockstars 2)
- Best Screenplay: Second Chance, written by Subhadra Mahajan
- Best Actor: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, I’m Not An Actor
- Best Actress: Sharmila Tagore, The Ancient
- Best Feature Documentary: A Fly on the Wall, dir. Shonali Bose and Nilesh Maniyar
- Best Short Documentary: An Arrested Moment, dir. Dev Benegal
- Best Short Narrative: Thursday Special, dir. Varun Tandon
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Two masterclasses rounded out the weekend: a behind-the-scenes talk with Smriti Mundhra on her journey from St. Louis Superman to Indian Matchmaking, and a conversation with Anurag Kashyap on the evolving landscape of Indian cinema.
The festival also paid tribute to the late Shyam Benegal with a restored 4K screening of Manthan, and featured An Arrested Moment, a short documentary on James Ivory‘s lifelong connection to Indian art, directed by Dev Benegal.
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