Goa Marathi Film Festival 2025
The highly anticipated Goa Marathi Film Festival (GMFF) returns for its 14th edition on the 9th and 10th of August at INOX and Maquinez Palace in Panjim.
During this two-day event, the festival will showcase more than 15 films, featuring unreleased titles, popular selections, and films that have not previously been screened in Goa.
Akshay Kumar, the leading star from Hindi cinema who is currently in the process of producing a Marathi movie, is expected to be the chief guest. Dr. Pramod Sawant, the Chief Minister of Goa, will honor the opening ceremony, which is scheduled to take place at INOX on 9th August at 9:30 am.
The acclaimed actor, Dr. Mohan Agashe, will be honored with the prestigious Krutadnyata Puruskar for his lifetime achievements. With a career spanning over five decades, he has established himself not only in Marathi cinema and theatre but also in Hindi films, and has produced acclaimed films like Astu (2013), which won two National Awards. In addition to his memorable roles, he has been a part of international productions, including The Sea Wolves (1980), alongside Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, and David Niven, which was notably filmed in Goa.
Several artists from the film industry have confirmed their participation in GMFF, which stands as one of the biggest and longest-running Marathi film festival in the country.
Prominent figures such as Prasad Oak, Sonali Kulkarni, Chhaya Kadam, Kishor Kadam, Milind Shinde, Jitendra Joshi, Rohini Hattangdi, Adinath Kothare, Subodh Bhave, Sai Tamhankar, Om Bhutkar, Bharat Jadhav, Siddharth Jadav, Bhushan Pradhan, Nikita Dutta, Amruta Subhash, Mrinal Kulkarni, Gajendra Ahire and numerous other actors will be present at the festival to engage with audiences, alongside the directors of the respective films.
The festival will feature award-winning films, many of which have received international recognition. Jayant Somalkar’s Sthal has garnered over 13 awards, including the distinction of being the first Marathi film to receive the NETPAC award at the esteemed Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the audience award at the
London Film Festival. Chhatrapal Ninawe’s Ghaath, which debuted at Berlin, was honored with the Giuseppe Becce Award for Best Director. Navjyot Bandiwadekar’s Gharat Ganpati secured the Best Director award at IFFI 2024.
The festival will also present inspiring films based on true stories, such as Ata Thambaycha Naay! and Paani.
Additionally, films that have not yet been released in theatres, including Kurla Te Vengurla, Dharmasya, Snowflower, and Cineman, will be showcased at the festival.
Popular titles like Gulkand and the critically acclaimed April May ’99 by Rohan Mapuskar are also a part of the lineup. This year’s Goa Marathi Film Festival will feature two short films produced by Goan filmmakers. The Hindi short film “Karz”, directed by young filmmaker Sharv Shetye from Vasco, will be screened alongside “Ek Cup Cha”, a Konkani short film by Kishore Arjun, which was also showcased at IFFI last year. Most of the films have not been seen on the big screen in Goa before.
The festival’s director, Sanjay Shetye, stated that GMFF has made a consistent effort to present the finest Marathi films across all genres to the film enthusiasts of Goa. “Our initiatives extend beyond merely screening films; we also provide audiences with the opportunity to engage with their favorite artists, which is what distinguishes makes GMFF special.
There is also great enthusiasm among the Marathi film fraternity to participate in the festival. This year, we will also have a workshop by visualdub.ai on the use of ai in creating content. Film as well as content creators can benefit from the new trends in AI”. The workshop will be held on 8th August Friday and will be open to all.
The registration for the festival will start online soon on the Burraa app and website. There are venues for in-person registration as well in the state. The registration will start from 20th July 2025.
1. Panjim, at Vinsan Graphics, 309, Gera Imperium 2, Patto,
2. Vasco at Vinsan Graphics, near Hotel Ananthashram,.
3. Ponda, at Mohak Designers, near Nutan Medical store, Ponda.
4. Margao, at Maya Book Stores
