MIFF 2026 sparked crucial conversations on preserving film festivals as spaces for education, culture and meaningful cinematic dialogue.
The recently concluded 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) reaffirmed why film festivals continue to matter in an age dominated by streaming platforms, algorithms and shrinking attention spans. Poland’s documentary Silver emerged as the winner of the coveted Golden Conch, underlining MIFF’s enduring reputation as one of the world’s premier platforms for documentary, animation and short fiction cinema. Yet, beyond the awards and screenings, one of the festival’s most significant contributions was an intellectually stimulating Open Forum that sought to answer a pressing question: Are film festivals in transition?
The discussion brought together some of India’s most experienced festival directors, scholars and critics, including Vidyashankar N., former Artistic Director of the Bengaluru International Film Festival; Aditi Akkalkotkar of the Pune International Film Festival; noted film critic Premendra Mazumder; and Prof. (Dr.) K.G. Suresh, Director of India Habitat Centre. Moderated by filmmaker and Indian Documentary Producers’ Association (IDPA) President Sanskar Desai, the session evolved into much more than a conversation about technology. It became a reflection on the future of film culture itself.
Much has been written about how digital technologies have democratised filmmaking and transformed the way audiences consume cinema. Films today are available at the touch of a screen. Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape workflows. Virtual reality and immersive storytelling are pushing cinematic language into new territories. Yet, as the panelists unanimously argued, technology cannot replace the collective experience of discovering cinema within a thoughtfully curated festival.
A film festival is not merely a marketplace of films. It is an ecosystem of ideas. It is where audiences discover unfamiliar cultures, filmmakers engage with viewers, students find mentors, and cinema transcends entertainment to become dialogue.
Among the many ideas discussed, two observations by Prof. (Dr.) K.G. Suresh stood out for their long-term policy implications. The first was the proposal to establish a Forum of Film Festivals.
India today hosts hundreds of film festivals of varying scales and credibility. Some have evolved into internationally respected platforms with rigorous programming, while others remain regional celebrations of cinema. There are also concerns over the growing number of so-called “fake festivals” that exploit filmmakers through pay-to-win award structures without maintaining professional standards—a concern echoed during the discussion by critic Premendra Mazumder.
In such a landscape, a national Forum of Film Festivals could become an invaluable institutional mechanism.
Instead of functioning in isolation, festival directors could meet regularly to exchange ideas, discuss programming practices, coordinate calendars, share resources and develop ethical guidelines. Such a forum could facilitate collaborations between established festivals and emerging regional initiatives while creating opportunities for travelling film packages, joint retrospectives, archival projects and filmmaker exchanges.
India has long recognised the value of institutional networking in literature, theatre and museums. Cinema deserves no less. More importantly, such a forum could represent Indian film festivals collectively at international platforms, strengthening India’s cultural diplomacy and enabling deeper engagement with global festival circuits.
The second proposal offered by Prof. Suresh may prove even more transformative. Drawing a parallel with successful initiatives such as Newspaper in Education (NIE) and Theatre in Education (TIE), he argued that the time has come to introduce Cinema in Education (CIE).
The idea is both simple and profound. Cinema is arguably the defining art form of the twentieth century, yet most students complete their education without ever learning how films communicate ideas, emotions and history. Young people consume enormous amounts of audiovisual content every day, but very few are taught how to critically engage with what they watch.
Film appreciation should not remain confined to film schools. Introducing Cinema in Education would cultivate visual literacy at an early age, helping students distinguish between propaganda and informed storytelling, understand cinematic language, appreciate documentaries alongside mainstream entertainment, and engage meaningfully with world cinema.
In an era increasingly dominated by misinformation, manipulated images and algorithm-driven content, visual literacy has become as essential as textual literacy. Teaching cinema is therefore not simply about creating future filmmakers. It is about nurturing thoughtful citizens.
Film clubs in schools and universities, curated screenings, interactions with filmmakers, workshops on documentary cinema and modules introducing students to editing, cinematography and screenwriting could fundamentally change how future generations perceive moving images.
This “Catch Them Young” approach has already demonstrated remarkable success in several countries where film education forms an integral part of cultural policy. India, with one of the world’s largest film industries and an extraordinarily rich documentary tradition, possesses every reason to adopt a similar model.
Interestingly, the panel also highlighted how festivals themselves function as informal classrooms. Aditi Akkalkotkar reflected on how her association with the Pune International Film Festival transformed her own understanding of cinema beyond commercial entertainment. She emphasised that learning at festivals happens not only inside auditoriums but also through conversations between filmmakers, audiences and students. Such exchanges, impossible to replicate on streaming platforms, remain one of the defining strengths of the festival experience.
Similarly, Vidyashankar N. reminded audiences that despite technological revolutions, festivals continue to fulfil the timeless human need for shared cultural experiences. Just as museums retain their relevance despite digital archives, film festivals continue to provide carefully curated encounters with cinema that no algorithm can replicate.
This year’s MIFF demonstrated precisely that. While Silver deservedly took home the Golden Conch, the festival’s greatest legacy may ultimately lie elsewhere—not in a trophy, but in a conversation.
For festivals to remain relevant, they must evolve beyond exhibition platforms into centres of education, research, cultural diplomacy and audience development. A national Forum of Film Festivals could strengthen India’s festival ecosystem through collaboration rather than competition.
A Cinema in Education movement could cultivate generations of informed cinephiles capable of appreciating cinema not merely as entertainment but as art, history, philosophy and social inquiry. If implemented with vision, these two ideas could reshape India’s cinematic landscape far more profoundly than any technological innovation.
For ultimately, while technology changes the way we watch films, it is education and cultural institutions that determine how we understand them. And that may be the most important lesson to emerge from MIFF 2026.
*Murtaza Ali Khan is an award-winning cultural critic, journalist, and academic. A jury member for the 69th & 70th National Film Awards, he has covered entertainment for The Hindu, The Sunday Guardian, and The Quint since 2008, with over 2,000 TV appearances as a media expert. He is also a film festival curator, translator of Hindujas and Bollywood, and a NET-qualified journalism educator.
