Cinephiles in Delhi can mark their calendars as the Capital gears up to host its first International Film Festival Delhi (IFFD) March 25 to March 31 at Bharat Mandapam, bringing together handpicked selection of 140 films across India and abroad.The Tourism Department said it had received over 2,000 entries from states and countries abroad. Of these, 140 films, including Dhurandhar 2, have been selected for screening at IFFD.Sharing details of IFFD 2026, Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said the festival is being organised by the Delhi government and Delhi Tourism department. The week-long festival will showcase international films and the diversity of India through select movies from Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Haryanvi, North-Eastern and Bengali cinema, officials said.“Additionally, some major Bollywood films will also be screened. Notably, the screening of Dhurandhar 2 will be a major attraction of the festival,” he said. The Tourism Minister added that IFFD is being organised for the first time in Delhi. The Minister stressed that the government has decided to make IFFD an annual event to establish the Capital as a major cultural and film hub.“International Film Festival, Delhi has three primary objectives. The first is to advance the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the Orange Economy and Creators Economy by developing Delhi as a hub for live entertainment. The festival aims to provide a global platform to young talents associated with theatre, art, direction, camera, animation, AI and other creative fields, enabling their work to be seen worldwide,” he said.The second objective is to showcase Delhi’s world-class infrastructure for hosting global events, developed during Modi’s tenure, including Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi, Kartavya Path, National War Memorial, the new Parliament building, and the Prime Minister’s Museum, said Mishra.The third key objective of the festival is to establish Delhi as a preferred destination for film shooting, he added.Story continues below this adFurther, Mishra said that over the past year, the Delhi Government and Delhi Tourism department have made several significant efforts to promote art, culture and tourism in the Capital.These include a grand drone show at India Gate during Diwali, large-scale arrangements for Chhath Puja and Kanwar Yatra, as well as celebrations of Teej, the minister noted. “Initiatives such as Bhajan Clubbing in Delhi University have also been undertaken to connect the younger generation with culture and tradition,” Mishra said, adding that Bhajan Clubbing will also be organised at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) soon.