River to River Florence Indian Film Festival

A cinematic bridge between the Ganges and the Arno

The River to River Florence Indian Film Festival is Italy's most important showcase for Indian cinema and, above all, the first festival in the world born outside of India to exclusively feature this cinematography. It takes place every December in Florence, the capital of Tuscany, and has become a highly anticipated event for enthusiasts, scholars, and curious audiences eager to discover a cinema far removed from Western tropes. The festival's very name is a poetic statement: the flow of cultures through images, from the Ganges to the Arno, two rivers that become symbols of a possible dialogue.

History and Vision

Founded in 2001 by director Selvaggia Velo, River to River has built a deep bond with the Indian subcontinent and its film community over more than twenty years. The festival does not limit itself to major Bollywood hits but explores Indian cinema in its entirety: auteur works, independent productions, socially impactful documentaries, tributes to masters of the past, and restored classics. Over the years, the festival has hosted prominent directors and actors in Florence, welcomed with the attention the city reserves for major cultural events.

What to Expect

Each edition offers a selection of over twenty works, including feature films, documentaries, shorts, and web series, with a special focus on female directors and contemporary themes: the conflicts between tradition and modernity, gender issues, the environment, and shifting identities. Alongside the screenings, the festival organizes meetings with guests, masterclasses, and special thematic sections that change from year to year.

• Previews and Italian premieres of recent Indian films
• Tributes to masters and restored classics
• Meetings with directors, actors, and producers visiting Florence
• Thematic sections dedicated to social and cultural issues in contemporary India

Florence and India

The festival is held primarily at Cinema La Compagnia, Florence's auteur cinema hall on Via Cavour, and is part of the annual "50 Days of International Cinema in Florence" program. Promoted by the Fondazione Sistema Toscana with the support of the Tuscany Region, the Municipality of Florence, and the patronage of the Embassy of India, River to River is much more than a film festival: it is an opportunity to immerse yourself in Indian culture in the heart of Tuscany, through images, music, colors, and stories that cross borders.