By: Avatans Kumar

INDICA’s Center for Indic Films has announced a major transformation as it enters its seventh year, expanding its film initiative into a dual-festival model aimed at broadening the global reach of culturally rooted and values-driven cinema.

Over the past six years, the Indic Film Utsav has screened more than 350 films through both online and theatrical formats, establishing itself as a platform for meaningful Indic storytelling centered on heritage, culture and civilizational themes.

Beginning this year, the initiative will move forward as two separate festivals: the in-person INDICA Dallas Film Utsav and the global online INDICA Heritage Film Utsav.

The three-day INDICA Dallas Film Utsav will be held annually every November in Dallas, with the upcoming edition scheduled for Thursday, November 13 through Saturday, November 15, 2026, at Galaxy Theaters in Dallas. The festival will feature films, documentaries, shorts, workshops, contests and filmmaker networking events.

Meanwhile, the INDICA Heritage Film Utsav will operate as a 24/7 global online festival every March, focusing on civilizational and heritage-driven cinema accessible to audiences worldwide. The next online edition is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 through Saturday, March 14, 2027.

Hari Vadlamani said cinema remains one of the most powerful mediums for preserving and transmitting civilizational knowledge. He added that the dual-format expansion reflects INDICA’s commitment to promoting “positive cinema” through stories that inspire, uplift and reflect deeper cultural values.

Danji Thotapalli said each festival has been designed for a distinct audience. While the Dallas event will provide an immersive theatrical experience for local audiences, the online heritage festival will ensure global accessibility through an anytime-anywhere digital format.

The transition also reinforces INDICA’s continued support for independent filmmakers and cinema focused on hope, human values, artistic courage and cultural depth.

The Dallas-based INDICA operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institute dedicated to Indian Knowledge Systems and cultural education. For further details on submissions, programming, and festival timelines please visit their website at https://cif.indica.in.