Key Points
- The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) officially opens on 11 August and runs till 20 August this year.
- The IFFM 2023 will celebrate Karan Johar's 25 years in cinema by hosting a series of events and special screenings of his films.
- More than 100 films will be screened in more than 20 languages, and over 30 guests are expected to appear during the festival.
The program for the IFFM was recently launched by festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange at an event held at the National Gallery of Victoria.
"The theme for this year’s festival, 'Identity', pushes us to think beyond the technological advancements happening around us, and look inward - to where we truly come from, what we stand for, and how we choose to live our lives," Ms Lange said.
Mitu Bhowmick Lange at the NGV, Melbourne. Credit: SBS Hindi
The 10-day festival, organised by Mind Blowing Films, will officially open on 11 August with R Balki's film 'Ghoomer' . The festival's guest list will include the film's cast, with Angad Bedi and Saiyami Kher among the attendees.
Other guests who will attend the fest next month include Karan Johar, Shabana Azmi, Karthik Aryan, Bhumi Pednekar, Malaika Arora, Vijay Verma, Sunny Leone, Rasika Duggal, Mrunal Thakur, Rahul Bhat, and Anshuman Jha.
The upcoming film festival will showcase a diverse selection of films from India and the Indian subcontinent, spanning various genres, themes, and perspectives. Additionally, the festival will also commemorate Karan Johar's remarkable 25-year journey in the film industry.
Ms Lange said, "Karan Johar is a true icon of Indian cinema, and his impact on the industry cannot be overstated. We are privileged to honour his extraordinary career and his invaluable contributions to Indian filmmaking at this year's Indian Film Festival of Melbourne."
IFFM Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange. Source: AAP / LUIS ASCUI/AAPIMAGE
Fifty-one-year-old film director-producer Mr Johar said he was deeply honoured to be a part of the fest this year.
Bollywood director Karan Johar. Source: EPA / DIVYAKANT SOLANKI/EPA/AAP Image
"Returning for the third time at the festival, I am overwhelmed by the love and support I have received from the Australian audience. The festival's curation of a special experience and celebrations to mark this momentous landmark in my journey fills me with a sense of joy and gratitude," Mr Johar said, adding that it was an opportunity for him to reflect upon his career, challenges, triumphs, and learnings.
The annual ritual of celebrating Indian Independence Day will this year take place at a new venue, Alexandra Gardens (The Peppercorn Lawn), instead of the traditional location of Federation Square as in previous years.
The dance competition's yearly tradition will now take place in the National Gallery of Victoria's Great Hall, also shifting from Federation Square. According to the IFFM website, the new venue was "a vibrant new location that promises to bring just as much joy, entertainment and community as ever."
A supplied image show people taking part the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) Dance Competition at Federation Square in Melbourne, Saturday, August 13, 2022. Credit: AAP Image/Supplied by IFFM, Sam Tabone
The IFFM 2023 Awards recipients will be unveiled during the festival's star-studded annual gala night on 11 August, which will take place at the renowned Hamer Hall in Melbourne.
The complete list of nominees is as follows:
Best Film
Bhediya (Hindi), Brahmastra (Hindi), Darlings (Hindi), Jogi (Punjabi), Kantara (Kannada), Monica, O My Darling (Hindi), Pathaan (Hindi), Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2 (Tamil) and Sita Ramam (Telugu)
Best Indie Film
Aatma Pamphlet (Marathi), Agra (Hindi), All India Rank (Hindi), Family (Malayalam), Gulmohar (Hindi), Hadinelentu (Seventeeners) (Kannada), Joram (Hindi), Pine Cone (Hindi), The Storyteller (Hindi), Tora’s Husband (Assamese), and Zwigato (Hindi)
Best Director
Anant Mahadevan (The Storyteller), Anurag Kashyap (Kennedy),
Ashish Avinash Bende (Aatma-Pamphlet - Autobio-Pamphlet),
Devashish Makhija (Joram), Don Palathara (Family), Kanu Behl (Agra), Mani Ratnam (Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2), Nandita Das (Zwigato), Prithvi Konanur (Hadinelentu -Seventeeners), Rima Das (Tora’s Husband), Siddharth Anand (Pathaan), Vasan Bala (Monica, O My Darling)
Best Actor (Male)
Dulquer Salmaan (Sita Ramam), Kapil Sharma (Zwigato), Manoj Bajpayee (Joram), Manoj Bajpayee (Gulmohar), Mohit Agarwal ( Agra), Paresh Rawal (The Storyteller), Rajkummar Rao (Monica, O My Darling), Rishab Shetty (Kantara), Shah Rukh Khan (Pathaan), Vijay Varma (Darlings) and Vikram (Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2)
Best Actor (Female)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2), Akshatha Pandavapura (Koli Esru), Alia Bhatt (Darlings), Bhumi Pednekar (Bheed), Kajol (Salaam Venky), Mrunal Thakur (Sita Ramam), Neena Gupta (Vadh), Rani Mukherjee (Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway), Sai Pallavi (Gargi), and Sanya Malhotra (Kathal)
Best OTT Series
Dahaad, Delhi Crime Season 2, Farzi, Jubilee, SHE Season 2, Suzhal: The Vortex, The Broken News, Trial By Fire
Best Actor (Male) – Series
Abhay Deol (Trial By Fire), Abhishek Bachchan – (Breathe – Into The Shadows Season 2), Aparshakti Khurana (Jubilee), Prosenjit Chatterjee (Jubilee), Shahid Kapoor (Farzi), Sidhant Gupta (Jubilee), Vijay Sethupathi (Farzi), Vijay Varma (Dahaad)
Best Actor (Female) – Series
Rajshri Deshpande (Trial By Fire), Rasika Dugal (Delhi Crime Season 2), Shefali Shah (Delhi Crime Season 2), Shriya Pilgaonkar (The Broken News), Sriya Reddy (Suzhal: The Vortex), Tillotama Shome (Delhi Crime Season 2), and Wamiqa Gabbi (Jubilee)
Best Documentary
Against The Tide, Dharti Latar Re Horo – (Tortoise Under The Earth), Fatima, Be Kucheye Khoshbakht (And, Towards Happy Alleys), To Kill A Tiger and While We Watched
