Asian Film Festival Barcelona focuses on India for 14th edition

The 14th edition of the Asian Film Festival Barcelona, organized by Casa Asia, will take place from October 22 to November 1. Centered at Cinemes Girona, the festival features over 120 titles from 25 Asia-Pacific countries, primarily produced between 2025 and 2026.

India serves as the central focus through the ‘Focus India’ section and a retrospective of 18 films spanning from 1942 to 2023. This emphasis coincides with the celebration of the 2026 Spain-India Dual Year. The festival's opening session at CaixaForum Barcelona features the film ‘If on a Winter's Night’ by Indian director Sanju Surendran, which explores migration and friendship.

Festival director Menene Gras Balaguer stated that the programming aims to move away from dominant commercial narratives to highlight independent, experimental, and auteur cinema. The selection emphasizes young creators and addresses urgent global social issues, including migration, housing access, gender perspectives, LGTBIQ+ rights, and gender-based violence.