WIF India, In Collaboration With WAVES Bazaar, To Showcase Women-Led Indian Filmmakers At TIFF 2025

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting's WAVES Bazaar and National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), in collaboration with WIF India, is in the process of selecting six top Indian filmmakers (with at least one woman in a key creative role) to showcase their stories on a global stage at the Toronto International Film Festival. In line with the vision and mission of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on women's empowerment and women led development, 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, a gateway to global audiences and industry leaders. For the first time, an Indian women-led film delegation will represent the country's cinematic landscape across languages at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025.

Building on its launch in May 2025 at the Cannes Film Festival, Women in Film India, now unveils #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, www.womeninfilmindia.org, and handpicked by an expert jury comprising some of the industry's most acclaimed filmmakers.

Women in Film India is honoured to join hands with Product of Culture, a US-based creative and cultural strategy partner whose unmatched commitment to bringing Indian stories to the global stage perfectly aligns with this landmark initiative - taking India's first women-led delegation to TIFF 2025. This partnership reflects the shared commitment to expanding global opportunities for Indian storytellers.
At its core, this initiative reflects WIF India's commitment to not just advocate for women in cinema, but to create real, career-defining opportunities. It is about ensuring that women's stories travel, connect, and thrive on the world stage.

Talking about the initiative, the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, Shri 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."

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. 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."

Archana Misra Jain, CEO, Product of Culture said, "Product of Culture leads at the intersection of culture, strategy, and global market access, bringing Indian stories to audiences around the world. Our collaboration with Women in Film India for TIFF 2025 is part of a long-term vision that goes beyond a single festival - it's about building momentum to spotlight Indian filmmakers, expand distribution opportunities, and secure global recognition for their work. After our successful collaboration at Cannes 2025, this partnership is a commitment to seeing Indian voices represented on every stage and in every market worldwide."

#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, the opportunity to meet international co-producers, festival programmers, and sales agents.

The Applications are open August 14-20, 2025 and require a team with at least one woman plus one additional member. Proof of a past released project (film, short, series, or OTT). WIF India membership and WAVES portal registration (I&B Ministry). A complete submission: SOP, pitch deck, bio, past work links, and legal documents. Projects can be at any stage - from development to release-ready. For projects in development, scripts must be registered with the SWA, with proof submitted. For completed projects, producer consent is required. The final six projects will be selected by an expert jury and announced after 20 August 2025. Selected delegates will attend the Toronto International Film Festival in September.