Beyond the screen: Why film festivals still matter

MIFF 2026 sparked crucial conversations on preserving film festivals as spaces for education, culture and meaningful cinematic dialogue.

- MURTAZA ALI KHAN

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.