DC Handlooms Presents Sarees in Motion: 70MM on Runway at IFFI 2025
DC Handlooms of the Ministry of Textiles presented a fashion showcase titled Sarees in Motion: 70MM on Runway at the red carpet of the ongoing International Film Festival of India 2025 in Goa. The presentation brought together couture, culture and cinema as part of a first-of-its-kind experience for festival delegates. The initiative functioned as a social enterprise dedicated to Indian handlooms.
The 15-minute showcase, performed twice, highlighted the evolution of Indian cinema through a series of handloom sarees. Each segment featured music representing different cinematic periods, creating a visual and auditory depiction of changing eras. The presentation invited delegates and film personalities to reflect on the progression of Indian cinema through the saree. It featured styles ranging from the drapes associated with the 1940s to contemporary silhouettes of the 2020s. The sequences recreated moods and themes linked with various decades, including portrayals associated with earlier heroines, the 1970s, the 1990s and the present-day period of glamour.
The event featured more than 40 handloom sarees sourced from regions across India. These included Tussar silk from Chhattisgarh, Ikat Pashmina Saree from Jammu and Kashmir, Banarasi Butidar Saree and Mubarakpur Lachcha Buta Saree from Uttar Pradesh, Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, Gheecha silk from Chhattisgarh, Venkatagiri Saree from Andhra Pradesh and Kuthampully Saree from Kerala. Some sarees were hand-painted by award-winning artists and reflected art forms such as Pichwai from Rajasthan, Pattachitra from Odisha, Warli from Maharashtra, Pen-Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, Madhubani from Bihar, as well as Gonda and Bhil art from Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Statements from Officials
NFDC Managing Director Shri Prakash Magdum said that IFFI has consistently served as a venue that recognises creativity in varied formats. He stated that presenting a handloom-based fashion showcase on the main red carpet underscored India’s cultural depth and the connection between cinema and craftsmanship. He observed that Sarees in Motion conveyed the character of India as innovative, rooted and internationally relevant, while affirming support for initiatives that highlight artistic heritage and inspire new forms of expression.
Development Commissioner (Handlooms) Dr. M Beena noted that the saree represents both tradition and a wider philosophy connected to artistry and rural livelihoods. She said that IFFI, known for celebrating cinema in an elaborate manner, offered an opportunity to present Indian attire and the work of weavers, artisans and creative communities to a global audience. She described Sarees in Motion as a tribute to India’s heritage, its enduring elegance and the spirit of Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi.