Red Lorry Film Festival 2025 sees Mumbaikars enjoy classic and new films over three days

BookMyShow’s Red Lorry Film Festival: Take Two took place in Mumbai across three days from March 21 to 23 in Bandra Kurla Complex. Photo Courtesy: Red Lorry Film Festival

As the final credits rolled on BookMyShow's Red Lorry Film Festival: Take Two in Mumbai, city film lovers left Bandra Kurla Complex mesmerised and busy discussing their favourite films that not only included the classics but also many new ones from world cinema.

The iconic Maison INOX at Jio World Plaza and Maison PVR at Jio World Drive in Bandra Kurla Complex buzzed with energy as Red Lorry Film Festival: Take Two, curated by BookMyShow and BookAChange by BookMyShow Foundation, delivered a second edition.

The festival opened with the premiere of ‘September 5', a powerful retelling of the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics tragedy and the weekend drew to a close with the Asia premiere of ‘One To One: John & Yoko', a deeply personal and immersive look into the legendary duo's relationship, their music and their impact on global culture.

For three days, film enthusiasts immersed themselves into 120 hand-picked films across languages and genres to curate their own film experience.

From the inspiring Femme Lens to the mind-bending Reality Bytes, from the pulse-quickening 11th Hour Spooks to the soul-stirring 'Legacy Rewind' and 'Timeless Tales' and the spectacular international spotlights 'Hola Spain' and 'Rendezvous with French', every screening was an adventure waiting to unfold.

Visionaries like Vikramaditya Motwane, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Atul Sabharwal, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Kaveree Bamzai and Prachee Shah Paandya along with honorary juror Ashish Hemrajani unveiled ‘Paul and Paulette Take a Bath' and ‘Souleymane's Story' as winners of the prestigious Competition Segment of the film festival while ‘I am Nevanka' was selected as the Critics' Pick by the renowned Mayank Shekhar, Anna M.M. Vetticad and Alaka Sahani.

Audiences immersed themselves in an exceptional lineup featuring acclaimed films such as ‘Anora', ‘Se7en', ‘The Last Showgirl', ‘Caligula: The Ultimate Cut', ‘The French Connection', ‘Heat', ‘The Story of Souleymane', ‘Paul and Paulette Take a Bath', ‘The 47', ‘Confidante', ‘Red Rooms', ‘Cold Wallet', ‘Alpha', ‘Out of Control', ‘999: The Forgotten Girls', ‘Rita', ‘Emmanuelle', ‘Hysteria' and ‘Carol Doda: Topless at the Condor'.

Legendary films were introduced by the icons themselves at Red Lorry Film Festival: Take Two. Subhash Ghai, Neetu Singh, Tina Ambani and Simi Garewal presented 'Karz' on its 45th Anniversary, offering a rare insight into the timeless classic. Honouring the legacy of Smita Patil on her 70th birth anniversary, the festival screened ‘Mirch Masala' with Prateik Smita Patil and Director, Ketan Mehta, in attendance to celebrate her extraordinary contributions to Indian cinema. With Aamir Khan joining the celebrations for ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak', Vikramaditya Motwane for ‘Udaan' and Pooja Bedi chatting with Mansoor Khan for 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar', this edition proved to be a cinephile's dream, blending nostalgia, tribute and cinematic brilliance.

Red Lorry Film Festival: Take 2 saw houseful shows for cinematic gems like ‘Anora', ‘Se7en', ‘Heat', ‘Alpha', ‘Nina', ‘A Beautiful Imperfection', ‘Nobert(a)', ‘Highway 65', ‘Universal Language', ‘The Things You Kill' and ‘Joi Baba Felunath', a true tribute to cinema's enduring magic.

In addition to its stunning film lineup, the festival played host to exclusive masterclasses featuring some of the most influential voices in the industry. Academy Award-winning producer Guneet Monga shared insights on navigating the global festival circuit, while industry stalwarts Siddharth Roy Kapur and Alok Tandon explored the evolving entertainment landscape. Acclaimed directors Akarsh Khurana and Sooni Taraporevala discussed the delicate balance between theatrical and streaming content and legendary screenwriter Anjum Rajabali deep-dived into the art of storytelling. Sunir Kheterpal hosted a session on adapting foreign films for the Indian audience while Komal Nahta, notable film trade analyst moderated a couple of sessions on the dynamic trends in the industry today. Discussions on global cinema trends, the poetry of cinema and the nuances of casting across borders also enriched the festival, providing cinephiles with invaluable industry insights.

Ashish Saksena, festival director, Red Lorry Film Festival and COO - Cinemas, BookMyShow, shared, "After a successful first edition, with this edition of the Red Lorry Film Festival, we are pushing the boundaries of cinematic experiences in India to new heights. The incredible response, houseful screenings and vibrant engagement reaffirm our conviction in the transformative power of storytelling to bridge audiences across genres, languages and cultures. From presenting international masterpieces to honouring timeless classics, this festival serves as our dedication to offering an extraordinary selection of films to India's passionate cinephiles. The love for cinema is as vibrant as ever and we take great pride in providing a platform where movie lovers can fully immerse themselves in the art of storytelling at its most exceptional."