Women In Film India partners with WAVES Bazaar to showcase women-led Indian films at TIFF 2025

In line with the vision and mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on women's empowerment, WIF India, led by Guneet Monga Kapoor, calls for entries from filmmakers across India with at least one woman in a key creative role for the WAVES Bazaar Showcase at TIFF 50.

Building on its launch in May 2025 at the Cannes Film Festival, Women in Film India unveiled #WIFIndiaAtTIFF, a landmark campaign to spotlight the next wave of storytellers at one of the world's most prestigious film festivals.

The selection will be based on entries submitted through the official Women in Film India website and will be handpicked by an expert jury comprising some of the industry's most acclaimed filmmakers.

Talking about the initiative, the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, Sanjay Jaju said, "Indian cinema is one of our strongest cultural ambassadors on a global stage, and it is essential that the world sees it in all its diversity. Women have been at the heart of our storytelling tradition. This initiative with Women in Film India is aimed at identifying talent, providing access, and ensuring our women filmmakers can compete and collaborate on equal footing with the best in the world in a structured and sustainable manner," as quoted in a press note shared by WIF India.

Academy Award-Winning Producer & WIF India Founder, Guneet Monga Kapoor said, "This is not just a delegation, it's a declaration: Indian women in film are owning the global stage. Our stories have been making a deep impact internationally, year after year. I'm proud to bring WIF to TIFF, the champion of emerging voices, as part of a one-of-a-kind program crafted with the support of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India," as quoted in a press note.

She added, "Under this program, we are seeking passionate film projects led by women of Indian origin. Selected filmmakers will get to shape their projects through immersive incubation and receive unprecedented exposure to TIFF's coveted programming. This is a bold and necessary step towards greater exposure and representation of women in cinema and storytelling. Applications are open to filmmakers in all Indian languages, as we seek to assemble and empower a historic first-ever delegation of women in filmmaking, marking the beginning of many milestones to come," as quoted in a press note.

According to the shared press note, #WIFIndiaAtTIFF is a curated initiative that will select six women-led projects, whether in development, production, post-production, or ready for release, to be showcased at TIFF 2025.

Each project will be represented by two delegates (a woman filmmaker and one additional team member), creating a cohort of 12 winners. The selected delegates will receive a 5-day access to TIFF 2025's global conference, Festival accreditation, travel and stay, Curated mentorship, networking, and industry introductions and the opportunity to meet international co-producers, festival programmers, and sales agents.

The last date to submit the application is August 20, 2025. As for eligibility, the project requires a team with at least one woman and one additional member.

They should have one released project (film, short, series, OTT) in their filmography and must have a WIF India membership and WAVES portal registration (I&B Ministry).

The submitted Projects can be at any stage -- from development to release-ready. For projects in development, scripts must be registered with the Scriptwriters Association (SWA) with proof submitted. For completed projects, producer consent is required, as per the press note.

The final six projects will be selected by an expert jury and announced after August 20, 2025. Selected delegates will attend the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place from September 4 to 14, 2025. (ANI)