INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Where: Hoyts Melbourne Central and Chadstone
When: June 11 until 22
Preview: Kathryn Kernohan
IN just its third year, the Indian Film Festival has grown to the point where it’s one of Melbourne’s largest cultural film festivals.
Kicking off on Monday (June 11), this year’s festival features 35 films from India and the subcontinent – including 20 Australian premieres.
‘‘Every year we grow a bit as a festival and this year is no different,’’ says festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange (pictured).
‘‘The Victorian government is now supporting the festival, which allows us to bring in more guests and host masterclasses. The short film competition is also coming of age,’’ she adds.
The program is split in two, with half the films falling under the banner Hurrah Bollywood – featuring the colour, dancing and music associated with the world’s largest film industry – and the rest billed as Beyond Bollywood, spanning everything from comedy to documentaries, action and thrillers.
One exciting inclusion in the program is Saving Face, a documentary about victims of acid attacks in Pakistan, which won an Academy Award earlier this year.
‘‘It’s a deeply moving film which makes you feel very blessed to live in a country like Australia where we have so much freedom and opportunities that we often take for granted,’’ says Bhowmick Lange.
The festival also features several masterclasses for film practitioners, Q&A sessions with filmmakers and appearances by some of India’s biggest film stars including Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.
In launching this year’s festival, Premier Ted Baillieu said that the Victorian government wants to develop a greater mutual understanding of the Victorian and Indian screen industries. It’s a plan firmly supported by Bhowmick Lange.
‘‘I am glad the government is creating cultural and financial bridges between the two, which will reap long-term benefits.’’
Details: visit iffm.com.au.
