Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2018 closes with Rohena Gera's Sir starring Vivek Gomber, Tillotama Shome

Melbourne: The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2018 officially closed its ninth edition with the screening of Rohena Gera’s _Sir_ . [caption id=“attachment_5028681” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] A still from Sir. YouTube screengrab[/caption] The closing ceremony was laced with Bollywood performances by children and a Q&A session after the film screening. The event last night was attended by Sir actor Tillotama Shome, Kannada film director R Nanjundegowda and filmmaker Onir, among others. Shome said she was honoured to attend the festival and thanked the organisers for selecting her film for the closing night. Sir, a love story set against the backdrop of the class divide in India, had its world premier at Cannes Critics Week this year. The movie, featuring Vivek Gomber and Tillotama Shome in the lead, bagged Gan Foundation Award at Cannes, making Gera the first female filmmaker to receive the honour. Nanjundegowda, whose movie Hebbetta Ramakka received National Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada this year, said he wished the movie gala became more diverse by including a range of regional films from across the country. “Since it is an Indian film festival, it should grow further and every Indian in Melbourne should feel proud of it,” he said. This year, the IIFM screened over 60 films in 22 languages, including Kripalani’s debut venture Tikli and Laxmi Bomb and Onir’s Kuch Bheege Alfaz.