The National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA) is an annual film festival established in 2025 to celebrate Indian cinema in Australia.[1] Organised in collaboration with the Australian Centre for Indian Cinema,[2] NIFFA is described as Australia's first and only national celebration of Indian cinema. It aims to showcase the diversity of Indian filmmaking, including independent, regional, and diaspora films, and to strengthen bilateral screen and cultural ties.
NIFFA was announced in October 2024 by the Australian Centre for Indian Cinema.[7] The festival was founded by filmmaker Anupam Sharma and co-directed with Peter Castaldi, both of whom had previously collaborated on Indian film programming in Australia.[8]
NIFFA emerged shortly after the signing of the Australia–India Co-Production Treaty in November 2023,[9] and Australia's role as "Country of Focus" at the International Film Festival of India in 2024.[10]
NIFFA 2025 was notable for implementing an all-women Nomination Council, comprising industry leaders like Achala Datar from Zee Studios, producer Deepti Sachdeva, filmmaker Neeru Saluja, and actress-director Amruta Apte.[11]
The inaugural edition also launched a Post-production Completion Grant and a special short film distribution offer by Pocket Films, offering financial and mentorship support for both Australian and Indian filmmakers working on Indian South Asian stories. In addition, NIFFA hosted panels and workshops on co-production, distribution, and investment, aiming to strengthen both cultural and commercial ties between the Indian and Australian screen industries.[12]
The inaugural edition of the National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA) in 2025 featured a curated slate of over 35+ films. The selection included features, shorts, documentaries, and animated works, spanning multiple Indian languages and diasporic themes. All submissions were received via FilmFreeway, and final selections were shortlisted by the Nomination Council.
The Opening Night film was Superboys of Malegaon, a Hindi-language feature directed by Reema Kagti, which humorously and poignantly chronicles a group of amateur filmmakers in small-town India.[15] The Closing Night film was Roam Rome Mein, directed by Tannishtha Chatterjee, a multilingual drama exploring gender and personal liberation through an Indian lens in a European setting.[16]
WingMan (The Universal Irony of Love) (Hindi) by Anuj Gulati
Short films screened included Bandar, The Last Show, Marigold, and Ghar Jaisa Kuch, among others. The festival also included documentary features like Maa Oori Ramayanam, Baghjan, and What If I Tell You. A key highlight of the inaugural NIFFA was a retrospective tribute to legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a pioneering voice in Indian parallel cinema who passed away just a few months before the festival. Honouring his immense contribution to socially conscious storytelling, NIFFA curated screenings of some of his most acclaimed works, including Mammo and The Making of the Mahatma. The retrospective served as an ode to Benegal’s legacy, introducing his cinematic vision to new audiences across Australia.[17]
In June 2025, NIFFA launched its first regional edition in Dubbo, New South Wales, which included a three-day program of screenings and live events.[20][21]
Organisation
Anupam Sharma is a Sydney-based filmmaker and the founder of Films and Casting TEMPLE, a company that has worked on over 275 India-Australia productions. Sharma also founded the Australia India Film Council.[22]
NIFFA's 2025 all-women Nomination Council included Achala Datar (Zee Studios), Deepti Sachdeva, Neeru Saluja, and Amruta Apte.
Reception
The festival received positive coverage from NDTV,[24] The Hindu,[25] ABC,[26] and The Indian Sun,[1] which praised its inclusiveness, cultural focus, and expansion of the Australia–India screen relationship.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
