Entertainment / South Asian Cinema Takes Over L.A. – Check Out The Must-See Films At IFFLA 2025!

South Asian Cinema Takes Over L.A. – Check Out The Must-See Films At IFFLA 2025!

Entertainment Apr 24, 2025

by Team ANOKHI LIFE

The lights are set to dazzle once more as the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) unveils its 23rd edition, running May 6 – 10, 2025, with a dynamic program celebrating the breadth and brilliance of South Asian cinema. With a global lens and a local stage, this year’s festival promises not only cinematic innovation but a rallying point for cultural dialogue and industry momentum.

>>> Buy Your Passes HERE <<<

Full Festival Agenda HERE

Bookending Brilliance: Two Striking Debuts

IFFLA 2025 opens with a roar. Kicking things off is Varsha Bharath’s Bad Girl, a Tamil-language drama that’s already turned heads at Rotterdam with its fearless portrayal of a young woman’s defiance in the face of societal expectations. Produced by acclaimed director Vetrimaaran and presented by auteur Anurag Kashyap, this coming-of-age story is both raw and rousing.

Bringing the festival to a poignant close is Little Jaffna by Lawrence Valin, a French debut feature exploring the heart of the Tamil diaspora in Paris’s vibrant La Chapelle district. It’s an evocative, character-driven exploration of identity, resilience, and cultural preservation – one that debuted to acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival.

Cinema That Speaks to the Moment

IFFLA’s 2025 lineup is as timely as it is diverse. Artistic Director Anu Rangachar emphasizes the festival’s deepening commitment to female-driven narratives and stories that grapple with the complexities of our times.

From gender identity and mental health to climate change and AI ethics, this year’s films aren’t just about storytelling—they’re about sparking vital conversations – Artistic Director Anu Rangachar

Among the most buzzed-about features is Rohan Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), fresh off its Grand Jury Prize win at Sundance. The film offers a tender, daring exploration of queer intimacy in contemporary India. Also drawing interest is Raam Reddy’s The Fable, starring Manoj Bajpayee, which turns a mysterious lens on a land plagued by unexplainable fires.

In Deepak Rauniyar’s Pooja, Sir a female detective probes a chilling disappearance along Nepal’s borderlands, while Rima Das returns with “Village Rockstars 2,” continuing her signature blend of realism and poetry through the lens of a musically-inclined Assamese teen.

The theme of invisible labor comes into focus in Humans in the Loop by Aranya Sahay, where a mother working in India’s AI annotation economy must reconcile professional detachment with personal emotion. The screening will be followed by a timely panel on tech ethics.

And in a powerful return to nonfiction, A Fly on the Wall from Nilesh Maniyar and Shonali Bose offers a raw meditation on autonomy and end-of-life choices – an emotional gut punch that lingers.

>>> Buy Your Passes HERE <<<

Full Festival Agenda HERE

Expanding the Industry Bridge

After a successful pilot last year, IFFLA Industry Days is back bigger and bolder. Held May 8th – May 9th, the two-day event now includes a robust pitch competition with a $10,000 grant, and industry panels curated in collaboration with Cinevesture. The goal? To be the connective tissue between emerging South Asian creatives and Hollywood powerbrokers.

The full Industry Days agenda, including panelists, pitch finalists, and featured projects, is available HERE.

Short Films, Long Impact

This year’s shorts program is nothing short of electric. With 18 films and 10 women directors, the lineup crackles with energy and experimentation. Standouts include Eisha Marjara’s haunting eating disorder documentary Am I The Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen, and the animated, heartbreakingly hilarious Bunnyhood by Mansi Maheshwari.

Other gems include The Feast, Rishi Chandna’s climate parable, and Landscapes of Longing, an emotional auto-fiction that meditates on migration and memory.

Premiering shorts range from As Dusk Falls (a cross-continental identity crisis) to Moti (a pandemic-fueled fever dream about a boy-turned-dog). The diaspora is also well represented, with festival-favorite names like Nik Dodani, Sunita Prasad, and Kiran Deol making appearances in films that span the surreal, the comedic, and the deeply personal.

More Than a Festival – A Movement

With screenings at Landmark Theatres Sunset and gala events at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, IFFLA 2025 is more than a film festival. It’s a celebration of South Asian identity, imagination, and innovation—poised not just to entertain, but to inspire.

Whether you’re a cinephile, a curious newcomer, or an industry insider, this year’s IFFLA offers a front-row seat to the future of global storytelling.

Festival Passes

May 6 – 10 | Los Angeles, CA

>️>> Tickets and passes available HERE <<<

Full Festival Agenda HERE

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Image Credits: indianfilmfestival.org/

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South Asian Cinema Takes Over L.A. – Check Out The Must-See Films At IFFLA 2025!

by Team ANOKHI LIFE

>>> Buy Your Passes HERE <<<

Bookending Brilliance: Two Striking Debuts

Cinema That Speaks to the Moment

>>> Buy Your Passes HERE <<<

Expanding the Industry Bridge

Short Films, Long Impact

More Than a Festival – A Movement

Festival Passes

COMMENTS

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