Anupam Sharma and the Rise of Indian Film in Australia

Why launch an Indian film festival in Australia? Filmmaker Anupam Sharma wants us to think beyond Bollywood. Having spent decades bringing Indian stories to Australian screens—including directing 'UnIndian' starring Brett Lee and Tannishtha Chatterjee—he’s now launching the National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA). As India and Australia’s ties grow across trade, politics, and culture, NIFFA adds a new dimension—one told through film. Debuting Feb 13 – Mar 2 with partners like Dendy and NDTV, NIFFA is Australia’s first national Indian film festival. Dilpreet Taggar invites Sharma to the studio to dive deeper. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Award-winning filmmaker Anupam Sharma is behind the National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA), the first and only national celebration of Indian cinema in Australia, in its debut year.

I always say that the India-Australia relation, in particular, is like an Indian goddess. It's got many arms. And one of the arms, which was hitherto underutilized, is the arm of cultural diplomacy through a platform. We did not have a national platform to celebrate cinema.

Anupam Sharma on why he spearheaded NIFFA

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