The Goan Konkani film Claudia is to be screened at the 56th IFFI, and that’s making news. Rajendra Talak’s film features the popular Sonia Shirsat and also includes other popular names from the Goan music scene and stage. On some level, it might look like a narrow way of looking at the IFFI – purely in terms of what local films get included or excluded from it. But the deeper reality is one of a small language struggling to create moving images of its own, which are relevant to the local society and take the local story to the big screen.
Many agree that Goan filmmakers face numerous challenges in producing and promoting Konkani films. This difficulty ranges from limited funding to a small audience base and inadequate distribution networks. In addition, the industry lacks institutional support, making it difficult to recover production costs, especially since most Konkani speakers are bilingual and often consume Marathi, Hindi or English cinema instead. Screening venues are few, and marketing budgets are small. In addition to all of the above, the linguistic diversity within Konkani itself—different scripts, dialects, and regional preferences—further fragments the potential audience. This leaves most films dependent on local festivals or niche cultural circles for recognition.
There has been some debate on whether IFFI has helped to promote the Konkani film culture. Local stakeholders expect more. Sometimes, the debate ranges around the number of Konkani films produced each year or the total number of filmmakers that Goa can boast of. Questions have also been raised over the release of assistance for film production. Then, there is the issue of how many of Goa’s 1.6 million people actually go to watch a Konkani film once it is released. Some Konkani films have, of course, made it to IFFI, and showcasing them in the Indian Panorama or special section could have made a difference. These include Aleesha (2004), Juze (2017), Wagro (2022), Sadabahar (2023) and Saavat (2024). In the meanwhile, other films – including the ever-popular Badroy Barreto’s Nachom-ia Kumpassar – have been winning awards in diverse festivals across the globe. Recently, Konkani short film Ancessao won the Best International Short Film award at the Toronto film festival 2025. But, let’s face it, awards alone will not make a film financially viable or the art of filmmaking sustainable.
Ever since Konkani cinema began in 1950 with Mogacho Aunddo (‘Love’s Craving’), directed by Al Jerry Braganza from Mapusa, who is regarded as the father of Konkani film, cinema from this small language group has had its fan following.
The industry evolved slowly, producing only a handful of films in the decades that followed, such as Amchem Noxib (1963) and Nirmonn (1966), both of which gained popularity among Goan and Konkani-speaking audiences in India and abroad too. After a lull through the 1970s-1990s, the 21st century brought a revival, with films like Aleesha (2004) winning a National Award and paving the way for a new wave of socially conscious and technically improved Konkani cinema. Since then, filmmakers like Rajendra Talak, Bardroy Barreto (Nachom-ia Kumpasar, 2014), and others have gained national attention, helping Konkani cinema carve a modest but distinct place in India’s regional film landscape. Writers such as Isidore Dantas and the late Andrew Greno Viegas have come out with tomes describing the films that have made it to the Konkani stage, not to forget some from Mangaluru too. While there is a tug-of-war of sorts, with filmmakers understandably worried about viability and audiences wanting good film, this is a sector in which Goa needs to build its own image. For that, we can’t depend on Bollywood.
