Stories That Move Us: In Pictures — Filmmakers Bring Emotion, Insight & Imagination to #IFFIWood

Goa Khabar : Day 05 of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 in Panaji, Goa, brought together filmmakers, authors, storytellers and creative teams for a day filled with rich conversations, screenings, and thought-provoking press conferences.

Each interaction opened a window into the creative processes behind some of the festival’s most compelling works—ranging from intimate explorations of identity and memory to powerful narratives on environmental change, cultural heritage, and human resilience.

Audiences witnessed a diverse spectrum of cinematic voices reflecting on personal journeys, historical echoes, and contemporary realities. With stories that challenge, heal, question and inspire, Day 05 stood out as a celebration of narratives that stir the soul and broaden our understanding of the world.

Press conference of Lala & Poppy at IFFI 2025

Lala & Poppy explores a gender-bending love story set in Mumbai, following two young adults—Lala and Poppy—each navigating their transitions while holding on to their emotional bond. The film poses profound questions about identity, acceptance, and the resilience of love in a world that often fails to understand those who live beyond the binary.

Producer Bobby Bedi highlighted the film’s universal core: “Humans come first, gender later.” He shared how the project was born at last year’s IFFI, reflecting India’s evolving social landscape where legal recognition exists but societal acceptance is still catching up.

Director Kaizad Gustad described the film as an honest, global story of love—one that just happens to be between two transgender protagonists. Years of research and engagement with queer communities shaped the screenplay, with an emphasis on authenticity, nuance, and emotional truth.

PC2: In Pursuit of Spring + Flood

Flood

Producer Katarina Krnacova shared that Flood is rooted in the displacement of a Slovak village after the construction of a water reservoir. Shot in the Májová region, the film features nearly 80% Ruthenian minority actors performing in their native language—an opportunity rarely seen on screen.
The film had its second worldwide premiere at IFFI Goa. The team hopes to organise a special screening for communities affected by the real-life project that inspired the story.

In Pursuit of Spring

Director Ayub Shakhobiddinov and lead actor Farina Jumaviya represented the Uzbek film, which follows Rahat Shukurova as she confronts long-buried secrets and emotional scars. Set during the final years of the Soviet era, its themes of healing, reconciliation and self-discovery remain relevant today.
The director praised IFFI as an important international platform that brings global cinema and culture together.

PC3: Rudhirvana

3rd Press Conference of Rudhirvana at IFFI 2025

Rudhirvana follows a group of election officials stranded in a forest amid a violent conflict between a resort construction project and the indigenous Dadaasi tribe. Seeking refuge in a decaying treehouse, they soon discover a supernatural danger far greater than the conflict outside.

The film blends human anxieties about deforestation with a haunting narrative where nature fights back through an ancient demon.

PC4: Maa, Uma, Padma (Ghatak) — Book Release

The special book release honoured legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. Speakers reflected on his enduring influence on Indian cinema and the struggles he faced throughout his career.

Author Kamran addressed misconceptions about Ghatak’s training, noting that his learning was rigorous and rooted in early writing, collaboration with greats of his era, and deep engagement with global cinematic masters like Eisenstein and Stanislavski. Ghatak’s teaching stint at FTII further underlined his contribution to film thought and pedagogy.

PC5: Hamsafar + Piplantri: A Tale of Eco-Feminism + Battlefield

Hamsafar

Hamsafar captures the emotional journey of a grandfather whose treasured old radio—his lifelong “companion”—goes missing. The film highlights Indian cultural values, where even simple objects become vessels of identity, memory, and emotional depth. It is a tender story of loss, nostalgia, and unwavering connection.

Piplantri: A Tale of Eco-Feminism

This feature-length documentary explores the remarkable ecological and social transformation of Piplantri village in Rajasthan. Director-Producer Suraj Kumar traces how visionary sarpanch Shyam Sundar Paliwal turned environmental grief into an eco-feminist movement—symbolised by the planting of 111 trees for every girl child born.
With global recognition and even UN interest, the film celebrates community resilience, ecological revival, and the power of women-centered development.

Battlefield

Set against the scars of the 1944 Battle of Imphal, the film follows Rajeshwor’s quest to uncover material evidence and personal testimonies from one of WWII’s bloodiest chapters in Manipur. Through excavations and survivor stories, the documentary examines the lingering psychological impact of war on everyday lives and questions how violence shapes cultural memory.

PC6: Songs of Adam + Skin of Youth

Songs of Adam

Set in 1946 Mesopotamia, the film follows 12-year-old Adam, who decides he will never grow up—forcing those around him to confront the unstoppable passage of time. A poetic story about innocence, inevitability and emotional truth.

Skin of Youth

Set in 1990s Saigon, the film explores the turbulent romance between a transgender sex worker seeking gender affirmation and a cage fighter striving to support her dream. Their love is tested by personal demons, violent underworld realities and the fragile hope of becoming who they truly are.