Ranchi, July 16, 2025:
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with the Department of Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, Minority and Backward Class Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, has announced the 1st Dharti Aaba Tribal Film Festival (DATFF), 2025. The landmark event will be hosted at the prestigious Dr. Ramdayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute (TRI) in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
This unique film festival is envisioned as a celebration of tribal voices, visual narratives, and indigenous storytelling traditions. Open to filmmakers across India, DATFF 2025 aims to highlight tribal histories, cultures, and lived realities through cinema and digital storytelling.
🌿 Call for Submissions Now Open!
DATFF invites filmmakers, animators, and storytellers working on tribal themes to submit their films for competition. Submissions must be in English or carry embedded English subtitles.
💡 Eligible Themes:
Participants are encouraged to explore one or more of the following:
- Identity and Resistance
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Tribal Philosophy (including environmental consciousness)
- Tribal Art, Culture, and Aesthetics
- Community Transformation
- Tales of Empowerment from tribal communities
- Slice of Tribal Life
- Biopics and Tribal Epics
🎬 Competition Categories:
- Fiction (above 60 minutes)
- Documentary (above 50 minutes)
- Short Documentary (5 to 50 minutes)
- Short Fiction (5 to 50 minutes)
- Animation (5 to 50 minutes)
- New Media / Mobile Films (90 seconds to 5 minutes)
📌 Important Note:
Only films released after December 31, 2020, will be considered for selection.
📅 Deadline for Submission:
September 10, 2025
The Dharti Aaba Tribal Film Festival promises to become India’s foremost platform for tribal cinematic expressions, offering national attention to stories from the heart of tribal communities. It also honors the legacy of Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda, whose resistance and spirit continue to inspire generations.
🎥 For filmmakers and storytellers, this is not just a festival—it’s a movement. A call to bring tribal voices from the margins to the mainstream through the power of cinema.
For more details on submissions and guidelines, stay tuned to the official portals of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRI Jharkhand.
