India, Sept. 9 -- From Venice to Toronto to Busan, Indian cinema is no longer a festival guest but a force setting agendas. With restorations, premieres, and transnational projects, India is curating its heritage, showcasing contemporary talent, and shaping markets - signalling its shift from arrival to authority

India is back at the centre of the world's festival map, not as a seasonal guest but as a force that shapes agendas. The signal fires are everywhere: a neorealist landmark, Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin, returns to Venice in freshly restored 4K; Toronto celebrates its 50th year with a record South Asian presence anchored by major Indian premieres and a marquee restoration of Sholay; and Busan's October calendar is already threaded ...