At heart, a film festival is all about discovering new stories that make concerted attempts to challenge the status quo while simultaneously expanding the grammar of cinematic storytelling. In the past recent years, Indian-origin films have risen to prominence in these festivals and walked away with great honors, thereby putting Indian film-making talent on the global stage. In 2025, too, many new films have captured the attention of both critics and connoisseurs of cinema, be it socially themed films or character studies. This article recommends five such festival favorites that made waves in 2025:
Aakhri Ride
This 23-minute short film has been directed and written by Yashoda Parthasarthy and Vijesh Rajan. The plot is about Aman Kumar Yadav (Chandan Roy of “Panchayat” fame), a poor ride-share driver who wants to free himself from his exploitative boss as well as provide a wedding dowry for his sister. He plans to make one last trip before he steals his boss’s taxi, but his plans go awry when the passenger reveals that she is a witch (chudail). This revelation turns the ride into a nightmare. Faisal Malik, Aamir Dalvi and Dheer Hira are also featured in this production. It was selected for the 2025 Fantasia Film Festival.
Homebound
This Karan Johar-produced Neeraj Ghaywan film is about two friends (Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa) who live in North India and decide to become policemen so that they can live with dignity and stability. The film further shows how their friendship undergoes strain when they battle the constraints of caste, poverty and red tape on the way to fulfilling their dreams. The film was selected for a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival of 2025 where it was appreciated by the critics. Homebound also featured Janhvi Kapoor in a key supporting role.
Humans In The Loop
This Aranya Sahay film is about Nehma (Geeta Guha), a single mother from the Oraon tribe who returns to her village. To support her family, she begins working at an AI center that trains machine learning systems to label data. Her work reveals to her the cultural biases inherent within technology. The film then culminates in a sense of Nehma’s isolation due to displacement from her roots. A major critical success (IMDb rating 8.9), it received a nomination for Best Screenplay at the 2025 New York Indian Film Festival.
Kuchar
This short film has been directed by Vaidaangi Sharma. The plot is about a teenager named Chanda (an excellent Sahoo Subhashree) who accidentally discovers self-pleasure on the morning of her birthday. This discovery triggers a revolution in terms of how she starts perceiving herself and her family. Subsequently, she and her mother Priya (Neha Vyaso) end up discussing suppressed desires and unspoken facts within the ambit of their orthodox family. The film received the Best International Short at the Palm Springs International Short Fest 2025. It was also critically acclaimed for its balanced depiction of adolescent sexuality and suppression of female desire across the generations.
Sabar Bonda/Cactus Pears
Rohan Kanawade has written and directed this film (his debut feature). The plot shows a 30-year old urban dweller named Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) returning to his village for his dead father’s shraadh (mourning rituals). During his grieving period, Anand forms a close friendship with Balya (Suraaj Saman), a local farmer who is resisting marriage. The rest of the story depicts how these two men navigate through their feelings despite the weight of tradition on their shoulders. Sabar Bonda earned critical acclaim for its queer themed love, and received the Sundance Grand Jury Prize as well as the Premio Maguey at Guadalajara in 2025.