Russia Is Partner Country at 57th IFFI with Four Films

The 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has named Russia as its Partner Country and will screen a specially chosen package of four Russian films. The festival runs in Goa from 20 to 28 November 2026 under the theme Stories Without Borders. Announced on 15 November 2026, the selection places three recent Russian features beside one Soviet-era musical, and the festival presents it as a reaffirmation of Indo-Russian cultural diplomacy.

The four films in the package

What each film tells

Bo Bo is a rural drama about identity, acceptance and prejudice. Nadia, a young girl mocked for a facial hemangioma, looks for a voice of her own through music, and the film argues that real change comes from defeating prejudice rather than altering a face.

Sidney Lumet’s Birthday won the Grand Jury Prize at the Vyborg National Film Festival. It follows Dato, a boy of seventeen, through family strain, abandonment and forgiveness, and asks what it takes to heal wounds passed down a family line.

New Home is a drama about second chances. Anna, released after seven years in prison, tries to rebuild her life with help from social services and from a man named Roman, and the film looks squarely at the difficulty of returning to ordinary life.

Cheryomushki is a musical satire set in post-war Moscow, scored by Shostakovich. Four young couples dream of better homes, and the film uses songs, dance and humour to expose bureaucratic corruption while celebrating neighbourly solidarity.

Why the selection matters

The package covers several genres and generations of Russian film-making, from close family study to satirical operetta, and takes in themes of family rupture, social isolation and personal redemption. The festival says such a line-up shows how cinema crosses borders and builds understanding through shared experience. Alongside this showcase, IFFI 2026 will bring together film-makers, industry professionals and audiences from India and abroad, with country showcases, premieres, competitions and industry engagements running next to the main Indian and international sections.