Mammootty’s Padayaatra to Compete at IFFK 2026 as Festival Unveils 38-Film Line-Up

The 31st International Film Festival of Kerala has unveiled its official selections, and Malayalam cinema has plenty to cheer about. Headlining the announcement is Padayaatra, the much-awaited collaboration between Mammootty and legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, which has been selected for the festival’s International Competition section. The film, which reaches theatres on December 4, will now compete for top honours at the festival, scheduled to be held in Thiruvananthapuram from December 11 to 18. The International Competition section features 14 films this year, and Padayaatra is joined by another Malayalam title, Leo Thaddeus’s Chevittorma, also known as The Soul Whisperer. Two Tamil films, Members of the Problematic Family and Selvi, have also made the cut, alongside entries from China, Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uruguay and Bangladesh, giving the competition a genuinely global flavour. Closer home, the Malayalam Cinema Today segment will showcase 12 films, including Dinjith Ayyathan’s critically acclaimed mystery thriller Eko. The line-up also features A Duck Tale, Ottanjaavalmaram, Domestic Circus, Metro Paramo, Leftover, Mosco, Not a Cinema, Ekadesham, Kallalan, Rivo Rukaiah and Trace of Wind, offering a snapshot of the breadth of contemporary Malayalam filmmaking. The Indian Cinema Now section has seven selections, among them Hunter’s Moon, Master Bantoo, Urmi, An Evening Ballad, The Ink Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb, Whispers of the Shadow and Pikna. The festival has also introduced a brand-new category this year, Critics’ Discovery, featuring five films: Vasara, Tharkam, Nebula, Ezhu Niramulla Swapnam and Sudeeptham. For Mammootty, the IFFK selection adds another feather to a remarkable year, placing Padayaatra before an international audience just a week after its theatrical release. With Adoor Gopalakrishnan behind the camera, the film is already among the most anticipated titles of the season, and its competition slot ensures it will be watched closely by critics and cinephiles from around the world.

Source: Cinema Express