Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, actress Sheeba Chadha, singer Hariharan, and screenwriter Kanu Behl are among the jury members for the 50 Hour Creative Challenges at IFP 2025 festival, which celebrates its 15th year anniversary.
The 15th edition of the IFP festival, previously called the India Film Project, is set to take place on November 29 and 30 at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studio.
Season 15 of IFP has drawn responses from creators across six categories — filmmaking, music, design, photography, writing, and performing arts.
Across its 14 editions, the festival has hosted renowned creators including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Academy Award winners Tom Schulman and Alexander Payne, and filmmakers Asif Kapadia and Mira Nair.
Talking about the festival, Dibakar Banerjee, member of the filmmaking jury, said, “Storytelling has always been about curiosity, and IFP thrives on that. As a filmmaker, I’ve always believed that cinema must surprise you. Fifteen years in, IFP is continuing the good work in promoting curiosity. That’s what makes it so special. Loving being a jury this year.”
“There’s something truly joyful about IFP, and it’s always a pleasure to associate with the team, this time as a jury member. What I love the most about this festival is how it empowers artists to express and evolve without limits,” said Sheeba Chadha, member of the performing arts jury.
Screenwriter and novelist Bilal Siddiqui, Santhy Balachandran (writer), Ravi Jadhav (writer, director, producer, actor), Mukesh Chhabra (casting director and filmmaker), Gajesh Mitkari (designer, founder of Studio Modak), will also serve as jury members.
Previously, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Tripathi, Javed Akhtar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkumar Rao, and Taapsee Pannu have also been part of this festival.