DIFF 2025: Sabar Bonda Director Rohan Kanawade Calls For Fairer Distribution For Independent Films

The 14th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) kick-started on October 30 at Tibetan Children’s Village in Upper Dharamshala, where acclaimed filmmakers gathered to discuss the evolving landscape of indie filmmaking, the struggle for visibility, and the art of staying true to one’s vision.

On Friday, Day 2, DIFF hosted two major sessions, including a special masterclass on legendary filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, attended by his son Andrey Tarkovsky.

The day began with a panel discussion titled From Vision to Reality: The Making of Indie Cinema, featuring Anuparna Roy (winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival for Songs of Forgotten Trees), Sabar Bonda director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, Bhutanese filmmaker Dechen Wangmo Roder (I, The Son), and Nidhi Saxena, director of Secret of a Mountain Serpent. The session was moderated by Prathyush Parasuraman.

"I don’t think anyone makes films, designing them for festivals. You make it because you are emotional, you want to say something," said Roy. Songs of Forgotten Trees will be the closing film at DIFF 2025.

The filmmaker also shared how her debut feature landed in Venice. "I ended up sending a very rough cut to the festival! They already had seven Indian films under consideration, and we were late. They ended up replying on July 18, that we are considering your film. It was a great experience there, the film won, people loved it and the concept of two women."

Kanawade revealed how his Sundance-winning film was deemed “a difficult sell” by several European and American sales agents.

"They said, ‘So sorry we are passing the film.’ I thought, should I make the film that can be easy for you to sell? I can't make a film that everyone else wants to watch; I will make a film the way I want to make a film. You have to make an honest film and have patience for things to work out," said Kanawade.

He also said that September was a breakthrough month for independent cinema, where acclaimed titles like Sabar Bonda, Jugnuma, and Humans in the Loop had theatrical releases.

"In the next few years, there shouldn't be any terms like independent or non-independent... There should just be cinema. Last month, we saw so many films releasing theatrically and people went to watch them. This is what I was saying - give that chance to the film. If you make the film available to them, they will go to watch."

Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound was the opening film at DIFF 2025. This year’s edition will conclude on November 2.