Message from IFFM Festival Director

Welcome to the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2019!

This year you get to enjoy the diverse range and variety of Indian cinema in all her glory, from the glamourous song and dance blockbusters to avantgarde gems that we’ve curated especially for you, cinephiles!! The festival is much more than the vast genres of movies we’ve handpicked for you; it is a celebration of experiences and how cinema brings the world closer. This year’s theme is Courage. The movies you’ll see, the people you’ll hear speak and the events that will unfold will all demonstrate the theme in some form. The Indian film Festival of Melbourne takes pride in bringing together not just the South Asian diaspora but various communities across Melbourne by using films as its medium. We assure you, this year is going to be bigger and better!

We’ve got acclaimed actors, writers, producers and directors who will be our special guests this year. They will answer your questions in interactive conversations and panel discussions, host special events such as the hoisting of the Indian Flag at Federation Square. They will also groove to some Bollywood moves at the Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition and proudly celebrate their peers and the film industry at the Awards Night.

Each year we recognize and reward filmmakers who have made films that tug at your heartstrings, leave you thinking and are in accordance to the theme of the festival. They are all products of the IFFM Short Film Competition. We are delighted to announce that the entry to the IFFM Short Film Competition for year 2019 is now open. The festival cannot wait to see the gems that come out of this year’s submissions.

Over the last 10 years, the film festival has grown from strength to strength only because of you and our wonderful partners who don’t just believe in us but push us to excel. Without all your unwavering support, we wouldn’t be able to tell the stories we do, screen the movies we love or promote the voices that need to be heard.

We look forward to you joining us at IFFM 2019 for another packed season of movie stars, moving stories, music and magic!

This year is about courage, it is about you and your voice and we cannot wait to hear it!