‘Kantara,’ ‘The Kerala Story 2’ in IFFI Goa International Competition

Rishab Shetty‘s “Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1,” Kamakhya Narayan Singh’s “The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond” and Volker Schlöndorff’s “Visitation” (Germany) are among 15 films competing in the International Competition at the 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which runs Nov. 20-28 in Goa.

The section pairs 12 international titles with three from India. The third Indian entry is Gajendra Ahire’s “Paro – The Untold Story of Bride Slavery,” an India-U.S. production produced by and starring Trupti Bhoir that centers on a woman sold into marriage.

Several international picks arrive from major festivals. Japanese novelist Maha Harada’s directing debut, “In My Father’s Room” (Japan), premiered in competition at San Sebastián, and Serbian director Miroslav Terzić’s “3 Weeks After,” a Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia and Luxembourg co-production, competed for Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe. Catalan filmmaker Meritxell Colell Aparicio’s “Far From the Trees” (Spain, Peru, Italy) bowed in Locarno’s main competition, and Argentine duo Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas A. Vignale’s debut “The River Train” launched in the Berlinale’s Perspectives strand. Suzanne Andrews Correa’s “The Huntress,” from Mexico and the U.S., premiered at Sundance.

Daniel Monzón’s “Pray for Us” (Spain, France) and Manuela Martelli’s “The Meltdown” (Chile, U.S., Spain, Mexico) are also in the running. So are Narghiza Dotieva’s “Skylark” from Kyrgyzstan, Mees Peijnenburg’s “A Family” from the Netherlands and Belgium, and Tiago Guedes’ “Aquí,” a Portugal-France co-production. Lê Bảo’s “Hearing” was made across nine territories: Vietnam, Singapore, Norway, France, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Thailand and Taiwan.

“The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond,” a sequel to 2023’s “The Kerala Story,” was produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and marked Singh’s directing debut. Shetty’s “Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1” follows “Kantara,” which competed in the same section at IFFI in 2023.

Rai, the Indian director-producer behind “Raanjhanaa,” “Tanu Weds Manu” and “Atrangi Re,” will lead the jury. Through his company Colour Yellow, he has backed titles including the horror film “Tumbbad,” and he presented Amit V. Masurkar’s political satire “Newton,” which India sent to the 90th Academy Awards as its official entry.

Argentine director and screenwriter Sol Berruezo Pichon-Riviere, who is based in Iceland, joins him. Her debut, “Mamá, mamá, mamá,” made with an all-female cast and crew, earned a special mention in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus competition in 2020, when she was the youngest director at the festival. Her second feature, “Nuestros días más felices,” made with support from Biennale College Cinema, premiered in Venice.

Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke won the grand prize at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2025 with his debut feature, “A Useful Ghost.” His short “The Bovine Comedy” took a Pardino d’Oro at Locarno this year.

Colombian sound designer María Alejandra Rojas, who works out of Mexico through her company Sonnet, has credits on Carlos Reygadas’ “Heil Jupiter!,” Gabriel Mascaro’s “The Blue Trail,” Allison O’Daniel’s “The Tuba Thieves” and Carla Gutiérrez’s “Frida.” Her sound art has been exhibited at MoMA and the Venice Biennale.

Romanian writer, director and producer Bogdan Mureșanu completes the panel. His feature “The New Year That Never Came” collected 23 international awards, among them best film in Venice’s Horizons section and the Fipresci prize at the festival. The film is also a Goa alumnus: it won IFFI’s Silver Peacock for best direction.