The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is an annual event in Melbourne, established in 2010. Initially, it received funding from the Victoria State Government. Film Victoria presents the festival, and the provider is selected through a tender process. Currently, mind-blowing films are run by Mitu Bhowmick Lange who is the Festival Director of IFFM. The festival has secured State Government funding until 2018.
The festival aims to present Indian cinema to the Australian audience. The festival features Bollywood films, indie movies, documentaries, and regional cinema from India.
Additionally, it hosts short film competitions dance competitions, and a flag-hoisting ceremony coinciding with the Indian Independence Day celebrations in Melbourne, and this blog of National Film Awards 2024 may provide a comprehensive list of winners categories and awards of IFFM.
History of IFFM
- The festival was founded in 2010.
- The State Government of Victoria began funding it in 2012 to strengthen ties with Indian film industries.
- Mind Blowing Films, owned by Mitu Bhowmick Lange, won the tender in 2012 and received extensions until 2016.
- In 2012, concerns were raised about the company recycling previously released films using government funding.
- In 2017, actress Khushbu accused the festival of bias against non-Hindi films; Lange defended the festival’s diversity.
- Mind Blowing Films was re-awarded the contract for 2017 and 2018.
- The festival launched the ‘My Melbourne’ project, pairing Indian and Victorian filmmakers to create short films on social issues.
Telstra People’s Choice Award
This award is presented at the festival to recognize an Indian film for its exceptional box-office revenue and critical acclaim during that year. It was established in 2014.
Recipient:
| Year | Film | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dhoom 3 | Vijay Krishna Acharya | Aditya Chopra |
| 2015 | PK | Rajkumar Hirani | Vidhu Vinod Chopra |
| 2016 | Kapoor & Sons | Shakun Batra | Karan Johar |
| 2017 | Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | S. S. Rajamouli | Shobu Yarlagadda |
| 2017 | Dangal | Nitesh Tiwari | Aamir Khan |
| 2019 | Simmba | Rohit Shetty |
2010
The first edition of the festival was held in 2010 and featured the work of actress Rani Mukerji such as Bunty Aur Babli, Black, Hum Tum, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Paheli, and Saathiya. The festival showcased several other Hindi films such as 3 Idiots, Dev.D, Dil Bole Hadippa, Dostana, Ghajini, Kaminey, Love Aaj Kal, Luck by Chance, New York, Paa, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Wake up Sid.
2011
The 2011 festival showcased more than 30 films, including 15 Australian premieres. Among the prominent attendees were actors Vidya Balan, Malaika Arora, Ali Zafar, and Juhi Chawla, and directors Kabir Khan, Raj Kumar Gupta, Leslee Udwin, Onir, and Arbaaz Khan.
Additionally, the festival achieved a new Guinness World Record in 2011 for the ‘Largest Bollywood Dance’ featuring 1500 participants.
2012
In 2012, the IFFM curated and showed 40 films from modern Indian cinema, Bengali films, and popular Indian films.
2013- IFFM Awards Winners
In 2013, IFFM featured a Bollywood Dance Competition as part of its program. The festival spends 20 days, showcasing films on five screens in Melbourne. It opened with India’s first silent film ‘Raja Harish Chandra’ accompanied by a live band playing the background score along with the colored ‘Mughal-E-Azam’.
The lineup also includes films like Bombay Talkies, Sholay, and Talaash. Notable guests at this event include Pamela Chopra, Vidya Balan Prabhudeva, Farah Khan, Simi Garewal, Kabir Khan, Onir; and Avtar Panesar.
2014- IFFM Awards Winners
Here’s is the list of winners of IFFM 2014:
| Year | Category | Award Winner | Film/Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | IFFM International Screen Icon Award | Amitabh Bachchan | (attended in person) |
| 2014 | Best Film | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | |
| 2014 | Best Indie Film | The Lunchbox | |
| 2014 | Telstra’s People’s Choice Award | Dhoom 3 | |
| 2014 | Best Actress | Kangna Ranaut | Queen |
| 2014 | Best Actor | Farhan Akhtar | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag |
| 2014 | Best Actor | Irfan Khan | The Lunchbox |
| 2014 | Special Jury Commendation | Anand Gandhi | The Ship of Theseus |
| 2014 | Western Union Best Director | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag |
2015- IFFM Awards Winners
In 2015, the IFFM spanned two weeks and centered around the theme of equality. The festival featured interactive masterclasses, an Awards Night, a short film competition, and a Bollywood dance competition. From this year onward, the celebration of Indian Independence Day became a part of IFFM.
The festival was inaugurated by the Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley, along with Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. The winners were honoured at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Other guests included Rajkumar Hirani, Simi Garewal, Imran Khan, Shonali Bose, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Elahé Hiptoola.
Here is the list of winners of the 2015 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne:
| Award Category | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| IIFM Award for Cinematic Excellence | Anil Kapoor |
| Best Film | Piku |
| Best Director | Shoojit Sircar for Piku |
| Best Indie Film | Kaaka Muttai (Crows Eggs) |
| Telstra’s People Choice Award | PK |
| Western Union Short Film Award | Rape – It’s Your Fault (India) and Road to Grand Final (Australia) |
| Best Actor | Irrfan Khan for Piku and Shahid Kapoor for Haider |
| Best Actress | Bhumi Pednekar for Dum Laga Ke Haisha |
2016- IFFM Awards Winners
The IFFM in 2016 began with the film Parched and concluded with Angry Indian Goddesses. The festival also featured panel discussions on women in cinema and hosted guests Sue Maslin, Leena Yadav, and Richa Chadha, who conducted a masterclass on Bollywood and body positivity.
| Award Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Westpac Excellence In Cinema Award | Rishi Kapoor |
| Telstra Best Film | Kapoor & Sons |
| Westpac Best Indie Film Award | Parched |
| Westpac Best Director Award | Leena Yadav |
| Best Actor | Nawazuddin Siddiqui for Raman Ragav 2.0 |
| Best Actress | Sonam Kapoor for Neerja |
| Western Union Short Film Festival Best Film Award | Josh Walker for Out on a Lim |
2017- IFFM Awards Winners
| Award Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| The Westpac IFFM Excellence in Global Cinema Award | Aishwarya Rai Bachchan |
| Best Indie Film | Lipstick Under My Burkha |
| Best Director | Nitesh Tiwari for Dangal |
| Equality in Cinema Award | Director/Actor Rahul Bose for Poorna |
| Best Actress | Konkona Sen Sharma for Lipstick Under My Burkha |
| Best Actor | Sushant Singh Rajput for Dhoni |
| Best Actor (Special Mention) | Raj Kumar Rao for Trapped |
| Best Film | Pin |
| People’s Choice Award | Dangal & Bahubali 2 |
| Leadership in Cinema | Karan Johar |
2019- IFFM Awards Winners
The 2019 took place at Palais Theatre. The event featured guests such as Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Tabu, Sriram Raghavan, Malaika Arora, and Arjun Kapoor. IFFM 2019 hosted by Karan Tacker.
2019 Awards:
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Short Film | Be My Brother, My Name is Mohamad, Ragdad, We Don’t Exist Here Anymore |
| Best Actor | Vijay Sethupathi for Super Deluxe |
| Best Actress | Tabu for Andhadhun |
| Best Director | Sriram Raghavan for Andhadhun |
| Best Film | Gully Boy |
| Best Indie Film | Bulbul Can Sing |
| IFFM Diversity Award | Onir |
| Telstra People’s Choice Award | Simmba |
| PWC Equality in Cinema Award (Honorary) | Chuksit and Super Deluxe |
| IFFM Excellence in Cinema | Shah Rukh Khan |
2020
The festival in 2020 was delayed from its usual time in August to October because of the pandemic. It included approximately 50 films in 17 languages.
2021 – IFFM Awards Winners
The 2021 IFFM had 127 films in 27 languages including films by 34 film directors.
| Category | Winner | Honourable Mention |
|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Soorarai Pottru | |
| Best Performance Male (Feature) | Suriya Sivakumar (Soorarai Pottru) | |
| Best Performance Female (Feature) | Vidya Balan (Sherni) | Nimisha Sajayan (The Great Indian Kitchen) |
| Best Director | Anurag Basu (Ludo) | Prithvi Konanur (Pinki Elli?) |
| Best Series | Mirzapur Season 2 | |
| Best Actress in a Series | Samantha Ruth Prabhu (The Family Man 2) | |
| Best Actor in a Series | Manoj Bajpayee (The Family Man 2) | |
| Equality in Cinema (Short Film) | Sheer Qorma | |
| Equality in Cinema Award (Feature Film) | The Great Indian Kitchen | |
| Best Indie Film | Fire in the Mountains | |
| Diversity in Cinema Award | Pankaj Tripathi | |
| Disruptor Award | Sanal Kumar Sasidharan | |
| Best Documentary Film | Shut Up Sona |
2022 – IFFM Awards Winners
| Category | Winner | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | 83 | Directed by Kabir Khan |
| Best Performance Male (Feature) | Ranveer Singh | For 83 |
| Best Performance Female (Feature) | Shefali Shah | For Jalsa |
| Best Director | Shoojit Sircar & Aparna Sen | For Sardar Udham and The Rapist (joint winners) |
| Best Series | Mumbai Diaries 26/11 | Directed by Nikkhil Advani |
| Best Actress in a Series | Sakshi Tanwar | For MAI |
| Best Actor in a Series | Mohit Raina | For Mumbai Diaries 26/11 |
| Equality in Cinema Award (Feature Film) | The team of Jalsa | Directed by Suresh Triveni |
| Best Indie Film | Jaggi | Directed by Anmol Sidhu (Punjabi) |
| Best Film from the Subcontinent | Joyland | – |
| Disruptor Award | Vaani Kapoor | For Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui |
| Best Documentary Film | A Night of Knowing Nothing | Directed by Payal Kapadia |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Kapil Dev | – |
| Leadership in Cinema Award | Abhishek Bachchan | – |
2023 – IFFM Awards Winners
| Category | Award |
|---|---|
| Best Documentary | To Kill a Tiger |
| Best Indie Film | Agra |
| Best Performance in Film (Male) | Mohit Agarwal for Agra |
| Best Performance in Film (Female) | Rani Mukerji for Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway |
| Best Director | Prithvi Konanur for Hadinelentu (Seventeeners) |
| Best Film | Sita Ramam |
| Best Performance (Male) in a Series | Vijay Varma for Dahaad |
| Best Performance (Female) in a Series | Rajshri Deshpande for Trial By Fire |
| Best Series | Jubilee |
| Best Short Film – People’s Choice | Connection Kya Hain by Nilesh Naik |
| Best Short Film – Australia | Home by Mark Russel Bernard |
| Honorary Awards | |
| Equality in Cinema Award | Darlings |
| People’s Choice Award | Pathaan |
| Award for 25 Years as a Filmmaker | Karan Johar |
| Rising Global Superstar of Indian Cinema | Kartik Aaryan |
| Diversity in Cinema Award | Mrunal Thakur |
| Disruptor Award | Bhumi Pednekar |
| Rainbow Stories Award | Onir for Pine Cone |
Conclusion
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne celebrates Indian cinema’s diversity and creativity, showcasing a rich array of films that highlight cultural narratives and artistic excellence to Australian audiences. It fosters global appreciation and dialogue.
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