Indian cinema’s biggest stars, emerging filmmakers and acclaimed storytellers are set to head to Melbourne next month as the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) returns for its 17th edition in 2026.
Running from 13 to 23 August, the festival has established itself as one of the largest celebrations of Indian cinema outside India, bringing together films, documentaries and series from across the subcontinent. Alongside screenings, the program will feature Q&As, cultural events, the annual dance competition and the festival’s awards night.
While Bollywood remains a major drawcard, the festival’s program extends well beyond Hindi-language cinema. This year’s selections include works in Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Kannada and Bengali, reflecting the breadth of storytelling emerging from different regions of India.
IFFM 2026 Celebrity Guests:
Several prominent figures from the film industry are expected to attend, including Rekha, Rani Mukerji, Pankaj Tripathi, Dulquer Salmaan, Kirti Kulhari, Saiyami Kher and Sayani Gupta.
One of the festival’s headline events will see actor Rani Mukerji receive an Honorary Doctorate from La Trobe University in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema.
“The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne has always celebrated artists whose work has shaped Indian cinema and inspired audiences across the world,” Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange said in an official press release.
“Rani Mukerji is one of the finest actors of her generation, someone whose performances have consistently combined artistic excellence with powerful storytelling.”
2026 IFFM Awards Nominees:
The festival has also announced its nominations for the 2026 IFFM Awards, with contenders spanning theatrical releases and streaming productions. The nominations highlight the growing diversity of Indian entertainment, with films and series from multiple languages and regions represented across the categories.
Below are the nominations for the Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne 2026 Awards:
Best Film
- Haq (Hindi)
- Jarann (Marathi)
- Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 (Kannada)
- Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (Malayalam)
- Saiyaara (Hindi)
- Sitaare Zameen Par (Hindi)
- Sharthopor (Bengali)
- The Great Shamsuddin Family (Hindi)
Best Indie Film
- Ammang Haelbeda (Don’t Tell Mother) – (Kannada)
- Full Plate – (Hindi)
- Kikkran De Phull (Flowers of Acacia) – (Punjabi)
- Lala and Poppy – (Hindi)
- Mayilaa – Semmalar Annam (Tamil)
- Members of the Problematic Family – (Tamil)
- Not a Hero – (Assamese, Hindi, English)
- Pankhudiyaan (Petals in the Wind) – (Hindi)
- Shazia Iqbal – Dhadak 2 (Hindi)
Best Performance (Male)
- Aamir Khan – Sitaare Zameen Par (Hindi)
- Ahaan Pandey – Saiyaara (Hindi)
- Bhuman Bhargav Das – Kein Held (Not a Hero) – (Assamese)
- Dulquer Salmaan – Kaantha (Tamil)
- Mammootty – KalamKaval: The Venom Beneath (Malayalam)
- Ranveer Singh – Dhurandhar (Hindi)
- Rishab Shetty – Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 (Kannada)
- Sanjay Mishra – Vadh 2 (Hindi)
Best Performance (Female)
- Aneet Padda – Saiyaara (Hindi)
- Kalyani Priyadarshan – Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (Malayalam)
- Kirti Kulhari – Full Plate (Hindi)
- Neena Gupta – Vadh 2 (Hindi)
- Rajshri Deshpande – Baapya (Marathi)
- Rani Mukerji – Mardaani 3 (Hindi)
- Rituparna Sengupta – Bela (Bengali)
- Yami Gautam Dhar – Haq (Hindi)
Best Series
- Baai Tujhyapayi (Marathi)
- Kohrra: Season 2 (Punjabi)
- Matka King (Hindi)
- Real Kashmir Football Club (Hindi)
- Sapne Vs Everyone (Hindi)
- The Ba***ds of Bollywood (Hindi)
- Perfect Family (Hindi)
- Freedom at Midnight: Season 2 (Hindi)
Best Performance (Male) – Series
- Ambrish Verma – Sapne Vs Everyone: Season 2 (Hindi)
- Arif Zakaria – Freedom at Midnight: Season 2 (Hindi)
- Barun Sobti – Kohrra: Season 2 (Punjabi)
- Kunal Khemu – Single Papa (Hindi)
- Paramvir Singh Cheema – Sapne Vs Everyone: Season 2 (Hindi)
- Manav Kaul – Real Kashmir Football Club (Hindi)
- Manoj Pahwa – Perfect Family (Hindi)
- Vijay Varma – Matka King (Hindi)
Best Performance (Female) – Series
- Anandhi – Arabia Kadali (Telugu)
- Huma Qureshi – Maharani: Season 4 (Hindi)
- Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli – Kuttram Purinshavan: The Guilty One ( (Tamil)
- Mona Singh – Kohrra: Season 2 (Punjabi)
- Rasika Dugal – Delhi Crime: Season 3 (Hindi)
- Seema Pahwa – Perfect Family (Hindi)
- Shefali Shah – Delhi Crime: Season 3 (Hindi)
- Swastika Mukherjee – Kaalipotka (Bengali)
Best Documentary Film
- Flying Tigers – Madhusree Dutta (Bengali, English, Mandarin, German, Polish)
- Working Girls – Paromita Vohra (Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali)
- Loving Karma – Johnny Burke, Andrew Hinton (English, Monpa, Hindi)
- Njaan Revathi (I am Revathi) – P. Abhijith (Tamil)
- Breaking The Code – Ben Rekhi, Swetlana (English)
- The Gas Station Attendant – Karla Murthy (English)
- Music in a Village Named 1PB – Surabhi Sharma (Hindi)
- Bride of Aravan – Lesley Branagan (Tamil)
Best Film from Subcontinent
- Sand City – Mahde Hasan (Bangladesh)
- Roid – Mejbaur Rahman Sumon (Bangladesh)
- Spying Stars – Vimukthi Jayasundara (Sri Lanka)
- Ek Mutthi Badal (My Share of Sky) – Sahara Sharma (Nepal)
- No Good Men – Shahrbanoo Sadat (Afghanistan)
- Goodbye Sisters – Alexander Murphy (Nepal)
- Delupi – Mohammad Touqir Islam (Bangladesh)
- In The Room – Brishkay Ahmed (Afghanistan)
Top Image Source: Supplied/Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne with additional design by Draw Your Box
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