📌About the Event

The Global Indian Film Festival (GIFF) 2026 is an international film competition and festival based in Mumbai that gives emerging and established filmmakers a platform to showcase original cinema. The festival welcomes feature films, short films, documentaries, animation, student films, mobile films, web series, music videos, LGBTQ+ stories, women-led films, and AI-generated films. GIFF aims to connect filmmakers, artists, technicians, and cinema enthusiasts while providing selected work with wider industry and audience exposure.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Type: International film festival and film competition
• Mode of submission: Online; films are submitted as online screeners, primarily through FilmFreeway.
• Festival mode: Primarily an offline festival/screening event in Mumbai, with the organizers also retaining the right to screen selected films online and in different Indian cities on a non-commercial basis.
• Venue: The Classique Club, New Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Festival Director: Aditya Banerjee.
• Major submission categories: Feature Fiction, Animation Feature, Documentary Feature, Short Fiction, Short Documentary, Short Animation, Student Film, Mobile Film, Web Series, Music Video, Pride, Women Storytellers, and AI Film.

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📅 Important Dates

• Opening Date: December 25, 2025
• Early Bird Deadline: February 9, 2026
• Regular Deadline: June 9, 2026
• Late Submission Deadline: September 8, 2026
• Extended/Final Deadline: November 9, 2026
• Notification Date: November 12, 2026
• Festival/Event Date: November 15, 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Eligibilty:
• Films produced from January 2023 onwards are eligible under the current festival listing.
• Overall eligible film duration ranges from approximately 30 seconds to 180 minutes, depending on the category.
• Feature Fiction, Animation Feature, and Documentary Feature entries should generally be 30–180 minutes long.
• Short Fiction, Short Documentary, and Short Animation entries should be under 30 minutes.
• Student Films can be up to 45 minutes.
• Mobile Films can be up to 45 minutes.
• Web Series entries may be up to 30 minutes per episode.
• Music Videos may be up to 10 minutes.
• Pride-category films should revolve around LGBTQ+ themes.
• Women Storytellers entries must be directed by a woman and should revolve around a female protagonist.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Production Awards include Best Feature Fiction, Best Short Fiction, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Student Film, Best Music Video, and Best AI Film.
• Creative Awards include Best Cinematographer, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Music.
• Performance Awards include Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Child Artist.
• Additional honours include Best Pride Film, Women Storyteller’s Award, Special Jury Mentions, Special Festival Mentions, Mumbai Meri Jaan, and Bollywood awards.
• Winners receive a prize/trophy and certificate.
• All shortlisted entries are eligible to receive a certificate; courier/production charges may apply if it is not collected at the festival.
• GIFF states that winning films may receive exposure through its television and OTT network, which the festival says reaches millions of viewers across India.