Habitat Film Fest — Weekend Screenings

India Habitat Centre opened the 18th Habitat Film Festival on May 15 at its Lodhi Road campus in New Delhi, with a 10-day program of feature films, documentaries, short films and filmmaker conversations. The centre’s festival page says the event runs through May 24 and brings together titles from 2025 and 2026 alongside retrospectives, workshops, a book discussion and an exhibition. Registrations for IHC members opened on May 3, and the festival opened to all on May 9, according to the official listing. RealShePower’s Delhi-NCR weekend guide included the festival in its May 16-17 cultural lineup and pointed readers to Jor Bagh station on the Yellow Line for access to the venue. India Habitat Centre’s monthly calendar lists the address as Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, and says entry is free with registration required. ### Which screenings are on the schedule for May 16 and May 17? The official Habitat Film Festival schedule lists May 16 screenings including 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. (indiahabitat.org) The same day also includes Documentary Films from IDPA and a session titled “From Research to Reel: Crafting Feature Film Stories,” according to the listing page. (realshepower.in) May 17 is scheduled to include Kadaknath at 11:00 a.m., a Critics Choice Awards 2026 short-film package at 2:00 p.m., Maliput Melodies at 4:00 p.m., Full Plate at 6:30 p.m. and White Snow at 9:00 p.m., the festival listing shows. The schedule page presents those screenings as part of the public registration flow for individual events. ### What kind of festival is Habitat Film Festival this year? (indiahabitat.org) India Habitat Centre says the 2026 edition is the 18th Habitat Film Festival and describes it as a handpicked selection of feature films, documentaries and shorts. The official overview says the program includes contemporary works such as Moham, Baksho Bondi, Vanya, Maliput Melodies and The Elysian Field. The festival page also says this year’s edition pays homage to “the many lives of Indian cinema” through a Ritwik Ghatak retrospective and tributes tied to Umrao Jaan and Chupke Chupke. (indiahabitat.org) The same page says the lineup spans more than 20 languages, from Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam to Khasi, Karbi, Bhili and Bhojpuri. ### Where is the venue and how do visitors get there? India Habitat Centre identifies the venue as its Lodhi Road campus in New Delhi. (indiahabitat.org) RealShePower’s weekend guide maps the festival stop to Jor Bagh station on the Delhi Metro Yellow Line, with a walk onward to the venue. DelhiEvents, which mirrors the venue details, lists the nearest metro stations as Jor Bagh and Khan Market and places festival activity in spaces including The Stein Auditorium, The Theatre and Gulmohar Hall. (indiahabitat.org) That matches India Habitat Centre’s broader programming footprint for the festival dates. ### Do visitors need tickets, and where do they register? (realshepower.in) India Habitat Centre’s May 2026 calendar says the festival is “Open To All” and “Entry Free,” with registration required. The dedicated festival schedule page tells visitors to click on each film to fill in the necessary details for registration. The festival homepage says member registrations opened on May 3 and public registrations opened on May 9. (delhievents.com) That makes the weekend screenings part of a larger booking window already underway as of Saturday, May 16. ### What comes next after the weekend screenings? The May 18 schedule lists Piranthanaal Vazhthukal / Happy Birthday at 1:00 p.m., Phouoibee / The Goddess of Paddy and a tribute screening of Chupke Chupke at 4:00 p.m., Koumudi / Blind Belief at 6:30 p.m., and Homebound at 9:00 p.m. (indiahabitat.org) The same day also includes an animation storytelling session by Dhvani Desai, according to the official listing. May 19 and later dates add Kangbo Aloti / The Lost Path, a Ritwik Ghatak retrospective screening of Meghe Dhaka Tara, Shorts & Documentaries from FTII, and Murders Too Close Love Too Far, the schedule shows. (indiahabitat.org) India Habitat Centre says the festival continues through May 24, with registration and the full program available on its Habitat Film Festival pages. (indiahabitat.org)