IFFI 2025: India pitches itself as the world’s film factory

GOA:  India wants to be Hollywood’s back lot—and everywhere else’s too. At an ambassadors’ roundtable in Goa today, officials made their pitch: diverse locations, cheap talent, cutting-edge VFX studios, and a market poised to hit $31.6bn next year. The message to diplomats from Cuba, Nepal, Israel, Australia, Ireland and five other nations was clear: co-produce with us.

The session at the International Film Festival of India  (IFFI) explored bilateral treaties, regulatory fixes and ways to tap India’s “multilingual talent pool.” Ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Sanjay Jaju framed India as the “studio of the world, where global stories can be imagined, produced, and shared.” He pointed delegates towards Waves Film Bazaar, IFFI’s deal-making platform, where co-production partnerships take shape.

Minister of state for information and broadcasting L Murugan, who chaired the talks, called co-production “the most powerful avenue” for audiovisual cooperation. He touted India’s growing prowess in animation and VFX, and promised simpler permissions and smoother movement of talent across borders. He also flagged India’s anti-piracy push—backed by inter-ministerial muscle from the ministries of electronics, home affairs and law—as proof the country can protect content.

Shruti Rajkumar, a consultant at the National Film Development Corp, laid out India’s anti-piracy framework, detailing tech tools and policies designed to stop digital leaks before they start.

Diplomats nodded along, expressing interest in India’s tech strengths and creative workforce. The 56th edition of IFFI, running until November 28 against Goa’s coastal backdrop, is positioning itself as more than a festival—it’s a marketplace where India hopes to turn cultural exchange into hard currency.

Whether the world’s filmmakers bite remains to be seen. But India’s bet is straightforward: offer scale, savings and skill, and the cameras will follow.