The inaugural edition of Film Expo India is underway at Bharat Mandapam, ITPO, New Delhi, from 26 to 30 August 2026. Marketed as the country’s largest dedicated film-industry exhibition, the five-day event is built around a simple idea: put every part of filmmaking—from script to release—under one roof.
That is the official tagline: From Scripting to Releasing. Organisers say the expo is meant to function as both a B2B marketplace and a public-facing cinema carnival, bringing producers, technicians, OTT platforms, state tourism boards, equipment vendors, film schools, and audiences into the same halls.
Who is behind it
The event is organised by Exhobuzz in collaboration with the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). Actor-producer Vindu Dara Singh (also referred to as Bindu Dara Singh in some press notes) is listed as mentor. Supporting institutions named in official material include Delhi Tourism, Maharashtra Tourism, Sahitya Akademi, and Prasar Bharati. Industry bodies associated with the expo include the Film Federation of India, the Screenwriters Association, and the International Chamber of Media and Entertainment Industry (ICMEI).
At a Delhi press conference, Singh said the aim was to create new work, technology partnerships, and international collaborations, arguing that film production already generates grassroots employment wherever shooting takes place. He also used the briefing to talk about his upcoming project Mahakaal Natak and introduce its cast.
What the expo is trying to be
Indian cinema already has festivals, award nights, and equipment fairs. Film Expo India is pitching something more industrial: a trade floor where a writer, a VFX house, a location commissioner, an OTT buyer, and a first-time producer can meet in the same week.
Promotional numbers from the organisers include:
- up to 1 lakh visitors
- up to 500 exhibitors from 22 states
- around 100 industry speakers and a similar number of film professionals and celebrity guests
- halls 1, 2, 3 and 4 at Bharat Mandapam
Those figures are organiser estimates, not independently audited attendance. Even so, the layout is designed around distinct zones rather than a single exhibition hall.
The main zones
Technology and services. Latest cameras, post-production pipelines, animation and VFX, virtual production, and AI-assisted tools are being showcased with live demos. This is the part of the expo aimed at working crews and studios looking for vendors.
Silver Screen Summit and conclaves. Panel discussions and masterclasses cover filmmaking craft, emerging trends, fashion in cinema, funding, co-production, and the impact of AI on storytelling. Speakers and guests of honour listed across official pages and reports include Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar, actors and MPs Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan, ICMEI president Sandeep Marwah, producer Deepak Mukut, directors such as Vishal Furia and Dr Roopa Iyer, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tirlok Malik.
Film carnival and theme park. This is the public-facing layer: dome theatres, storytelling zones, regional cinema showcases, visual-arts exhibitions, and an immersive “world of cinema” experience. Organisers are treating it as both entertainment and a way to pull non-trade visitors into the venue.
Film tourism and locations. State boards and destination marketers are present to sell shooting incentives and locations—an attempt to turn the expo into a booking desk for productions looking beyond Mumbai.
B2B marketplace. Meetings between producers, distributors, OTT platforms, investors, and service companies sit at the centre of the commercial pitch. The expo is being sold less as a fan convention and more as a deal room with a carnival attached.
Why Delhi, and why now
Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan gives the event national-capital access, large halls, and ITPO’s trade-fair infrastructure. Organisers have spent months positioning Delhi and North India as a production hub, not only a market. Vindu Dara Singh publicly invited Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to the inauguration, framing the expo as a way to strengthen the local filmmaking ecosystem.
The timing is also deliberate. Indian cinema is split across theatrical, OTT, regional industries, and a fast-growing tech stack. A single platform that claims to cover scripting, production, technology, distribution, and tourism is an attempt to capture that fragmentation in one place.
What to expect on the ground
Typical listed hours are roughly 9 or 10 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. Visitor registration is open on the official site (filmexpoindia.com and visitors.filmexpoindia.com). Passes range from general exhibition entry to higher-priced VVIP delegate tickets that include lounge access, conclaves, and a gala night.
Beyond the trade floor, the programme includes guest felicitation, fashion-and-cinema programming, music-and-cinema evenings, sneak peeks of upcoming titles, and regional showcases. Organisers say they intend to take the format to other Indian cities after this first edition.
The larger claim
Film Expo India is presenting itself as more than a five-day fair: a recurring national platform that can give Indian cinema a stronger global identity and create employment around production. Whether it becomes that will depend on what actually happens inside the halls—deals signed, co-productions started, technicians hired, and whether exhibitors return next year.
For now, the inaugural edition is live in New Delhi. From 26 to 30 August 2026, Bharat Mandapam is the place where the Indian film industry is trying to look like one industry instead of many disconnected ones.
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