IFP – the world’s leading festival of creativity and culture returns to Mumbai’s iconic Mehboob Studios, Bandra West on November 29 & 30, 2025, for its milestone 15th edition. With a decade and a half of nurturing creators, sparking collaborations, and building one of the strongest creative communities in Asia, IFP Season 15 promises to be its biggest and most multidisciplinary year ever.
From veteran talents like Shahid Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Hariharan, Raja Kumari, Ranveer Brar, to writers and authors like Manu Joseph, Anurag Minus Verma, Aaquib Wani, and many more – this year’s lineup includes India’s most exciting names across film, music, design, culture, digital, food, literature, and performing arts.
The festival brings together conversations, performances, workshops, masterclasses, cultural experiences, and the popular 50 Hour Creative Challenges, all housed within the legendary studios of Bandra.
A Milestone Edition: IFP Turns 15
IFP celebrates 15 years of being a creative playground for storytellers across disciplines. What began as a small idea has grown into one of the world’s leading Creativity × Culture festivals, boasting:
- 1.2 lakh+ participants
- 1400+ speakers
- Representation from 8 countries
- Massive community of creators across film, music, design, art, writing & digital media
This year, IFP received a record-breaking 40,000+ participants from 350+ cities and 23 countries for its signature 50 Hour Challenges across Filmmaking, Photography, Music, Writing, Design, and Performing Arts.
IFP Season 15 Speaker Line-Up: The Biggest Ever
The 2025 edition comes with IFP’s most diverse speaker lineup yet, cutting across genres, industries, and creative forms. Here are some of the most anticipated conversations at IFP Season 15:
Film & Streaming
Expect some of the sharpest minds in cinema coming together for craft-led conversations, including:
- Becoming Arjun – Abhishek Bachchan (Actor) × Shoojit Sircar (Filmmaker)
- Shahid Kapoor on craft & cinema (Actor)
- Behind the Scene: I Am Not an Actor – Nawazuddin Siddiqui with Indian filmmaker and writer, Aditya Kripalani
- 20 Questions: How I Made My First Feature – Aranya Sahay, Shazia Iqbal (Filmmakers)
- Gustaakh Ishq: Bringing Back Old-School Romance – Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh (Actors)
- Documenting Geniuses to Directing Madness – American screenwriter and television producer, Robert B. Weide
- 10 Things We Learned While Contemporising Indian History – Hansal Mehta (Filmmaker), Sameer Nair (Media Executive)
Music
A strong mix of icons and innovators:
- The Making of Kashi to Kailash – Raja Kumari with Mae Thomas
- Getting Fusion Right – Hariharan, Akshay Hariharan
- Bars from the Heart – Dino James
- Future of Music with Rolling Stone India
Literature
A line-up rooted in contemporary voices and cultural commentary:
- Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us × Meet the Savarnas – Manu Joseph, Ravikant Kisana
- Behind the Book: Peeli Chhatri Wali Ladki – Uday Prakash
- Kahaani Nayiwali Hindi Ki – Divya Prakash Dubey, Nilotpal Mrinal
- From the Translator’s Diary – Rakshanda Jalil, Akhil Katyal
Design, Photography & Performing Arts
- How I Designed the Team India Jersey – Aaquib Wani
- Dolby Creator Lab Power Talk
- Poets of the Future Past: Kabir & Khusrau – Ajitesh Gupta, Himanshu Bajpai, Pragya Sharma
- How I Take Breathtaking Drone Shots – Aarzoo Khurana, Sadaa, Manish Deo, Vishal Dayama
Digital & Culture
- Social Media Vigilantes | Consider Me De-influenced – (Dr Tanaya Narendra, Aakash Banerjee, Dr Sid Warrier, Dr Sivaranjini Santosh, Madri Kakoti)
- How Culture Gets Shaped – Anurag Minus Verma, Ria Chopra, Chirag Thakkar
- How To Create Compelling Video Essays – India in Pixels
Food
- Food of the Future Past // Reviving Old Recipes – Chef Ranveer Brar × Kunal Vijayakar
50 Hour Filmmaking & Creative Challenge Awards
One of the festival’s biggest highlights is the showdown of IFP’s iconic 50 Hour Challenges – the world’s toughest, fastest creative challenges where teams create and submit complete projects in just 50 hours.
Awards will be hosted at the festival for:
- Filmmaking
- Music
- Photography
- Design
- Writing
These categories received overwhelming participation this year, making the 2025 awards especially competitive.
IFP Season 15 Schedule & Festival Timings
- Dates: November 29–30, 2025
- Venue: Mehboob Studios, Bandra, Mumbai
- Sessions: 10 AM – 10 PM (approx., final timings on official schedule)
Tickets & Passes
IFP typically offers:
- Festival Citizen Passes: INR 1499
- Student Passes: INR 749
- Buddy Pass: INR 4499 (4 tickets)
How to Reach Mehboob Studios, Bandra
Mehboob Studios is centrally located in Bandra West, a creative hub and one of Mumbai’s most accessible neighbourhoods. You can reach via:
- Local Train: Nearest station – Bandra
- Bus routes connecting Bandra–Hill Road
- Auto/Taxi/Uber from anywhere in Mumbai
- Parking: Limited; public transport recommended
Why You Should Attend IFP Season 15
Whether you’re a filmmaker, writer, designer, podcaster, content creator, musician, foodie, or simply a culture enthusiast — IFP Season 15 offers:
- Access to top industry leaders
- Hands-on workshops & masterclasses
- A chance to be part of India’s largest creator community
- Live performances and immersive cultural sessions
- Networking opportunities with 20,000+ creators
- The iconic 50 Hour Challenge Award ceremonies
IFP is more than a festival — it’s a creative movement. And this year, it turns 15.
Summing Up
IFP Season 15 brings Mumbai its most ambitious creative festival yet, packed with top speakers, craft-driven sessions, music, design, digital culture, food conversations, and the iconic 50 Hour Challenge Awards. Spread across two vibrant days at Mehboob Studios, it’s the ultimate weekend to learn, create, collaborate, and be inspired.
