Nov 04, 2026 1:30pm IST
Yellowstone International Film Festival 2026: ‘For the Opponents’, ‘Elephants in the Fog’ and Sayani Gupta’s ‘Aasmani’ to Headline Mumbai Edition (EXCLUSIVE)
The Yellowstone International Film Festival (YiFF) will return to Mumbai for its seventh edition from November 30 to December 4. The five-day festival will present a selection of Indian and international independent cinema, including narrative features, documentaries, live-action shorts, LGBTQIA+ stories and animation. Screenings will be held at Veda Kunba Theatre in Mumbai, with several films set to have their Indian or Mumbai premieres.
Among the international selections is “For the Opponents”, directed by Federico Luis, which won the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. The film will have its Asian premiere at YiFF. Another title in the line-up is “Elephants in the Fog”, directed by Abinash Bikram Shah. The film won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes and has been selected as Nepal’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards. It will have its Mumbai premiere at the festival.
The Indian feature-film selection includes “Flowers of Acacia”, directed by Anmol Sidhu; “The Uncertainty Principle”, directed by Don Palathara; “The Ink Stained Hand”; and “The Missing Thumb”, both directed by Yashasvi Juyal.
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The documentary feature programme includes “Herland”, directed by Kallol Mukherjee; “The Calf Doll”, directed by Ankur Hooda; and “The Wolf”, co-directed by Wancheng Gu and Prasad Shetty. The films explore subjects spanning human responsibility, social change, identity and personal freedom.
The short-film programme will bring together Indian and international live-action films, documentary shorts, LGBTQIA+ narratives and animation. Indian selections include “Aasmani”, the directorial debut of actor Sayani Gupta. The film centres on the relationship between a woman and her vintage car, and explores companionship, family and independence. It will open the festival.
Other Indian short films in the programme include “We Were Here”, directed by Pranav Bhasin; “Termite”, directed by Shaunak Sen; and “The Sailor & The Chef”, directed by Ashish Sawhny. The international selection features “Jazz Infernal”, directed by Will Niava; “That's My Sister”, directed by Zoé Pelchat; “Abracadabra”, directed by Amay Mehrishi; and the animated film “What We Leave Behind”, directed by Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte.
Speaking about the festival, founder Tushar Tyagi said the aim was to make independent films from different countries and cultures accessible to Indian audiences while giving filmmakers an opportunity to connect with one another and reach new viewers. He added that the programme reflects the festival's focus on bringing different voices and perspectives to Mumbai.
The festival will also host conversations and masterclasses under its TALKS programme. Guest Director Smriti Kiran, who is overseeing the talks and special programme, said the initiative aims to bring together filmmakers working across independent and mainstream cinema. She named Anmol Sidhu, Don Palathara, Ankur Hooda, Pranav Bhasin, Shaunak Sen, Prasad Shetty, Mehar Malhotra, Abinash Bikram Shah, Anand Ekarshi, Sayani Gupta and Amay Mehrishi among the filmmakers whose work will be part of the festival's conversations and programming.
Gupta said she was glad that “Aasmani” would open the festival after its international run, which included screenings at 14 festivals over two months. The film has also screened in Bengaluru, Kerala and Dharamshala. Gupta had previously attended YiFF as an actor and said returning with her directorial debut made the occasion significant for her.
The seventh edition of the Yellowstone International Film Festival will run from November 30 to December 4 at Veda Kunba Theatre, Mumbai. Passes are available through District. Blue Buzz is the integrated partner for this edition and will handle the festival's brand advisory, communications and media outreach.
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