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The 3rd NAFA (North American Film Association) International Film Festival, organized in association with the Government of Maharashtra, is being held in San Jose, California, from August 7-9.
The 2026 Festival, which provides a global platform to Marathi cinema, offers audiences a confluence of films, short films, world premieres, masterclasses by veteran artists, workshops, meet-and-greets, panel discussions and award ceremonies, said NAFA founder-president Abhijit Gholap.
The festival took off on 7th August with a grand red carpet in the presence of celebrities. The evening featured red carpet arrivals, an eye-catching fashion show, followed by the Awards Night Gala, the main highlight of the first day. Eminent personalities from Marathi cinema were honored.
In Day Two, following the inaugural ceremony, world premieres of several highly anticipated films are scheduled, including Naa Aavadti Gosht, Tu Mi Aani Amayra and Dwidha. Premieres of ButterScotch, Bramhakamal, Ek Suvarna Pravas, Hyphen, and a special NAFA-produced short will also be held.
Special masterclasses will be held on this day by acclaimed actor Atul Kulkarni, director Nagraj Manjule, actresses Girija Oak and Shruti Marathe and veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi. These sessions will give emerging artistes, writers, and film scholars a direct opportunity to learn from industry veterans.
In addition, a “Meet & Greet” program will be held with Archana Joglekar, Ajinkya Deo, Mahesh Kothare, Trupti Bhoir, Sai Deodhar and Gargi Kulkarni, giving fans a chance to interact with them directly.
Workshops will include a session on Micro Drama by Atul Kulkarni, a special session by Archana Joglekar, a “Director’s Grid” session with Mahesh Kothare, Nagraj Manjule and Ajinkya Deo, and a special conversation, “Coffee with Kaushik” with ABP Majha’s executive editor Sarita Kaushik.
On 9th August, the final day of the festival, will also offer special programming for film lovers. Premieres are scheduled for the short film, Undocumented.PDF along with the films Paro and Frames, alongside special screenings of the short films Andesha, Panha, Baburao in Love with Ella, H1B or Not Be, Keki and Those Left Behind. This segment also gives an important platform to the work of student directors.
Masterclasses and conversation sessions will be held with Mahesh Kothare, Atul Kulkarni, Nagraj Manjule, Ajinkya Deo, Girija Oak and Rohini Hattangadi. The three-day cinematic celebration will conclude with a grand Closing Ceremony, bringing to an enthusiastic close a festival that honors Marathi cinema on the global stage.
Bringing together producers, directors, actors, technicians, students, media representatives and Marathi cinema lovers from across the world, the festival marks a significant step towards establishing a new global identity for Marathi cinema. NAFA founder-president Gholap expressed confidence that it will be a memorable one for Marathi cinema.
It is high time that the Marathi film industry and cinema, which has shown sustained excellence over the millennium in particular, gets this kind of recognition on a global scale. Its output goes far beyond other hyped regional cinemas.
