Habitat Film Festival — Weekend Screenings

India Habitat Centre’s 18th Habitat Film Festival opened on May 15 in New Delhi and is running through May 24 with a program of feature films, documentaries, shorts and post-screening conversations. The festival is being held at the India Habitat Centre on Lodhi Road, where the official program says this year’s edition includes films from 2025 and 2026, tributes, workshops, a book discussion and an exhibition. RealShePower included the event in its Delhi NCR weekend guide for May 16–17, pointing readers to multiple screenings across the weekend. ### Which weekend screenings are on the May 16–17 lineup? The India Habitat Centre schedule lists five May 16 screenings in the Stein Auditorium: “Paradha” at 11:00 a.m., “Porshi / Neighbours” at 2:00 p.m., “Gondhal / Ritual Chaos” at 4:00 p.m., “Shavapetti / The Coffin” at 6:30 p.m. and “Vanya” at 9:00 p.m. The same schedule also lists “Documentary Films from IDPA” on May 16 with a select time entry. (indiahabitat.org) Fillum, the ticketing and schedule page linked to festival listings, shows an additional May 16 program in The Theatre at 2:00 p.m.: “Shorts Package - Best of Critics Choice Awards 2026 by the Film Critics Guild.” For May 17, Fillum lists “Kadaknath” at 11:00 a.m. in the Stein Auditorium and a second Critics Choice Awards shorts package at 2:00 p.m. in The Theatre. ### What kind of festival is Habitat running this year? (indiahabitat.org) The official Habitat Film Festival page says the 18th edition brings together a “handpicked selection” of feature films, documentaries and shorts from 2025–2026 and pairs screenings with filmmaker conversations. The same page says the program also includes retrospectives, workshops, a book discussion and an exhibition. RealShePower’s May 16–17 weekend guide describes the event as a 10-day festival featuring stories across 20 regional languages and says audiences can attend post-film panel discussions and interact with independent directors. (fillum.in) The Habitat page similarly says the lineup spans more than 20 languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Khasi, Karbi, Bhili and Bhojpuri. ### Who curated the program, and what did organizers say they were looking for? (indiahabitat.org) Professor KG Suresh, director of India Habitat Centre and the festival, told The Indian Express that the 2026 edition is “curated around the overarching idea of resilience and the indomitable human spirit.” He said the programming team watched more than 200 films across features, documentaries and shorts before shortlisting around 60 titles. (realshepower.in) The Indian Express reported that this is the first year the centre is collaborating with the Indian Documentary Producers Association and the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Suresh told the newspaper the festival was built through a year-long selection process that included festival titles, independent submissions and direct outreach to filmmakers. (indianexpress.com) ### Which films and tributes stand out in the broader program? The festival opened on May 15 with the Malayalam film “Moham,” directed by Fazil Razak, followed by a discussion with the director, The Indian Express reported. The newspaper said the contemporary lineup also includes Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound,” Rohan Kanawade’s “Sabar Bonda,” Jeejivisha Kale’s “Tighee,” Pradip Kurbah’s “The Elysian Field,” Badiger Devendra’s “Vanya” and Ram’s “Paranthu Po.” (indianexpress.com) The official Habitat page says the retrospective section includes four Ritwik Ghatak films — “Meghe Dhaka Tara,” “Komal Gandhar,” “Subarnarekha” and “Jukti Takko Aar Gappo.” It also lists tributes tied to Asha Bhosle through “Umrao Jaan” and to Dharmendra and Asrani with “Chupke Chupke.” ### Where can readers check timings and registration before going? The India Habitat Centre page says registrations for members opened on May 3 and registrations for all viewers opened on May 9. (indianexpress.com) Fillum’s schedule pages for individual screenings also state that registrations opened on May 9 and identify the screening venue as either the Stein Auditorium or The Theatre at India Habitat Centre. (indiahabitat.org) RealShePower’s weekend guide directs readers to the festival as one of Delhi NCR’s main May 16–17 cultural events, while the official Habitat Film Festival page carries the broader May 15–24 schedule. The festival continues at India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, through May 24, with later screenings including “Homebound” on May 18 at 9:00 p.m., according to the official program. (realshepower.in) (indiahabitat.org)