Panaji: Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski’s historical drama Fatherland (Ojczyzna) has been selected as the opening film of the 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), scheduled to be held in Goa.
Set in 1949, at the height of the Cold War, the 82-minute black-and-white film follows Nobel Prize-winning German writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika on a road trip across a war-ravaged, divided Germany. Returning after 16 years of exile in the US, Mann travels with his daughter from US-controlled Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar.
Starring Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler, the film explores the complex relationship between father and daughter against the backdrop of post-war Germany, examining themes of family, identity, history and belonging.
A joint production of Poland, Germany, Italy and France, Fatherland will have its India premiere at the festival. The film has already featured at major international festivals, including Cannes, San Sebastián and Telluride in 2026. Pawlikowski also received the Best Director Award at Cannes.
The selection sets the tone for the nine-day festival, which will celebrate cinema under the theme ‘Stories Without Borders’.
