Indian Film Festival of Melbourne: From nominations, guests to screenings, all you need to know

Helmed by the Victorian government, Australia, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IIFM) is back for its 10th edition in the cultural city, and will celebrate “courage” as its central theme. This year, the festival will run from 8 to 17 August. 2019 will see an impressive array of new jury members added to the festival, which include filmmaker Fred Schepisi (Six Degrees of Separation), actress Victoria Hill (Macbeth, First Reformed, The Chaperone), and Vince Colosimo, who is an AFI award-winning actor. Jill Bilcock, Academy Award-winning editor of films like Moulin Rogue, Romeo and Juliet, and Elizabeth, is the returning jury member on the panel, reports News18. Last month, it was announced that global icon, multi-award winning actor-producer Shah Rukh Khan will be the chief guest for the festival. He will also open the festival by presenting National Award-winning filmmaker  Rima Das ’ latest Assamese feature,  Bulbul Can Sing . Khan will open the IFFM on 8 August, along with other festival guests, and in the company of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, and festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange. [caption id=“attachment_7129931” align=“alignnone” width=“669”] Vijay Sethupathi, Gayathri, Arjun Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu attend the first day of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Twitter- @RajeevMasand[/caption] Talking about presiding over the ceremony, Khan said in a statement, “I’m particularly pleased with the theme of the festival this year which is courage, an emotion that resonates with storytellers who really have the might to change the society and the world. I have had great memories of shooting for Chak De! India in Melbourne and look forward to being back again, this time to celebrate Indian cinema.” Apart from this, Khan will also felicitated with the ‘ Excellence in Cinema ’ honour at the awards night of IFFM on 8 August. The festival would pay tribute to the actor’s continuous contribution to cinema and popular culture in India with the award. Ayushmann Khurrana , Tabu and Radhika Apte’s edge-of-the-seat psychological thriller  Andhadhun  will also be screened at the IFFM. Tabu will attend the screening alongside the director-writer Sriram Raghavan. According to a press release, they will also partake in a discussion about the film afterwards. Actor-director Dhanush will also be travelling to Melbourne for the premiere of his international debut film The Extraordinary Journey of Fakir . The film, directed by Ken Scott, is an Indo- French co-production which is based on the international bestseller by Romain Puertolas, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe’ From the World section, Gurinder Chaddha’s Blinded By The Light will make its way to IIFM. The film was also showcased at the  Sundance Film Festival  2019, where it received rave reviews, and was sold to New Line for $15 million. Chef Vikas Khanna’s directoral debut,  The Last Colour , that revolves around the widows of Vrindavan, is another film to be screened at the IIFM this year. Mayur Katariya’s brave film about a transgender girl’s quest to become a teacher in India, Ek Aasha, is also scheduled to be screened under World category. Under the ‘Beyond the Bollywood’ section of Melbourne Festival, a lot of worthy Indian regional films are making their presence felt. From Tamil hit Pariyerum Perumal to Marathi film Smile Please, IIFM has diverse projects reserved for the regional films. Nominations for the IIFM 2019 are as follows: Best Indie Film Widow of Silence Bulbul Can Sing  The Gold Laden Sheep and the Sacred Mountain Namdev Bhau Bhonsle Chuskit Bhoga Khirkee Best Director  Sriram Raghavan -  Andhadhun Zoya Akhtar - Gully Boy Thiagarajan Kumararaja - Super Deluxe Rima Das - Bulbul Can Sing Praveen Morchhale - Widow of Silence Jhanu Barua - Bhoga Khirkee Abhishek Chaubey- Sonchirya Best Actress Tabu - Andhadhun Neena Gupta - Badhaai Ho Alia Bhatt -  Gully Boy Rituparna Sengupta - Ahaa Re Jigmeet Dewa Lhamo - Chuskit Zerifa Wahid - Bhoga Khirkee Best Actor Ayushman Khuranna - Andhadhun Ranveer Singh - Gully Boy  Vijay Sethupathi - Super Deluxe Manoj Bajpai - Bhonsle Amitabh Bachchan - Badla Vicky Kaushal - Uri: The Surgical Strike  Namdev Gaurav - Namdev Bhau Best Film Andhadhun Gully Boy Badhaai Ho Sui Dhaaga Super Deluxe Each year, the iconic landmark of Melbourne, the Federation Square, is populated on one of the most important days for the Indian community living in the cultural hotspot. As part of the annual IFFM, the Indian Flag will be hoisted at the Federation Square, ahead of the Independence Day celebrations. This year, as the festival will be celebrating its 10th year amongst much fervour, Karan Johar will hoist the flag.