This year’s Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will screen over 65 films, including 20 films by female directors, and six world premieres.
The festival, which runs from 15-25 August 2024, features films in 26 different languages, some of which are not widely spoken.
The IFFM Opening Night will screen the world premiere of My Melbourne, directed by four Indian filmmakers – Onir, Rima Das, Imtiaz Ali, and Kabir Khan – and filmed entirely in Melbourne. All four directors and key cast and crew will attend the Opening Night which is held at Hoyts District Docklands.
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne: ScreenHub’s top ten picks
My Melbourne
Australia
My Melbourne features four unique diverse stories based on true incidents themed around the four pillars of diversity – sexuality, gender, disability, and race.
Manorajyam
Australia
Manu Keraleeyan, a Melbourne businessman, falls for a Malayali girl. His friend Bluetooth Ravi flirts online, while another friend’s wife elopes with a guy she met online. Testing his wife’s loyalty triggers a chain reaction that transforms his life.
Wild Swans
India
Set in the foothills of Bodoland, Northeast India, the story follows Preeti, a doctoral student whose romanticized view of rural life shatters as she witnesses the impacts of militarization and patriarchy on women in a post-conflict society.
The Zebras – Dark Start
India
The Zebras tells the story of a documentary photographer in Kolkata who manipulates AI to create virtual monsters in the City of Joy. The narrative escalates as the boundary between humanity and digitization blurs, leading to turmoil in the city’s photography and fashion industries.
Mrs
India
Richa, a passionate dancer, marries into a family of doctors and discovers their modern facade hides traditional expectations. Denied a job and intimacy, she struggles in a marriage of convenience. She strives to find her identity amidst navigating her life in kitchen.
Girls Will Be Girls
India, France, USA, Norway
In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance; but her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come-of-age herself.
Headhunting to Beatboxing: A Musical Renaissance
India
This musical documentary tells the story of a Northeast Indian tribe in Nagaland that overcame violence and bloodshed, finding rebirth and healing through a musical renaissance.
Padatik
India
Padatik chronicles Mrinal Sen’s life, blending timelines to showcase the cultural, political, and social contexts of his work. It highlights his politics, films, creative genius, struggles, success, and personal life and emphasizes his profound impact on Indian and global cinema.
Night Queen
India
The 35-minute long short film, starring popular actors Sheeba Chaddha and Vipin Sharma in the lead, is the story of a 48-year-old woman from Lucknow living in the body of a man. Caught between societal norms and an identity crisis, Lakshmikant’s life takes an unexpected turn as she confronts her family about her desire to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Wakhri (One of a Kind)
Pakistan/USA
A widowed Pakistani teacher becomes a viral sensation overnight after sharing her unabashed opinions on social media. Her newfound fame brings challenges, as she navigates archaic mindsets and fights for women’s rights to have a voice and space.
