The National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA) successfully wrapped up its inaugural edition, which took place from February 13 to March 2, 2025. The festival concluded with a spectacular Red-Carpet Gala and the closing night screening of Tannishtha Chatterjee’s directorial Roam Rome Mein at Murdoch University, Perth. This historic event followed an unprecedented seven-city tour across Sydney, Canberra, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne.

Superboys of Malegaon Wins Best Film

One of the festival’s most celebrated moments was Reema Kagti’s Superboys of Malegaon winning the Best Film Award. Expressing gratitude for the honor, Kagti stated, “I would like to thank the National Indian Film Festival of Australia for choosing Superboys of Malegaon as the Best Film and for showcasing it in cities across Australia, helping the film reach a wider audience. We are glad that festival audiences resonated with this story of dreams and determination.”

Other Major Award Winners

🎬 Best Indie Feature Film: WingMan (The Universal Irony of Love) – Anuj Gulati
🎬 Best International Indian Film: Parikrama – Goutam Ghose
🎬 Best Documentary Feature: Maa Oori Ramayanam – Badrappa Gajula
🎬 Best Documentary (Short): The Man Who Hurls News – Ananth Narayan Mahadevan

Ananth Narayan Mahadevan on His Win for Best Documentary (Short)

Winning the Best Documentary (Short) for The Man Who Hurls News was an emotional moment for prolific filmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan. He shared, “The film unearths one of the oldest serving newspaper boys in the world [60 years] and analyses the world of newspaper reading and dissemination of news through his eyes. I am humbled that audiences in Australia related with this unusual character and even connected emotionally with his state. Kudos to the inaugural edition of the NIFFA on its specially curated plate of special Indian cinema for the world. Wishing it greater success in its future editions.”

NIFFA’s Growing Influence and Expansion Plans

NIFFA has extended its celebrations with encore screenings at Dendy Cinemas and has launched NIFFA Regional, an initiative bringing Indian cinema to regional Australia for the first time. The festival has received overwhelming support from film institutions and audiences beyond the Indian diaspora, with key partnerships at Murdoch University (Perth), Mercury Cinemas (Adelaide), The Backlot Studios (Melbourne & Perth), and Dendy Cinemas as the National Screening Partner, along with SBS Australia.

Festival Director Anupam Sharma Reflects on NIFFA’s Impact

NIFFA’s Founder & Festival Director, Anupam Sharma, highlighted the festival’s groundbreaking achievements, stating, “We are so happy that a festival which aims to promote Australian-India film links through celebration of Australian stories has got two Australian winners who made their films between Australia and India with no support and full of passion. As we structure some more pioneering initiatives for next year, we cannot wait to take amazing Indian films to regional Australia annually, again something never done before.”

Additional Award Winners

🏆 Best Short Film: The Last Show – Valavan Velmurugan
🏆 Best Short Film – Special Mention: The Garmentologist
🏆 Post-production Completion Grant: Misty – Raja Chatterjee

NIFFA’s Future – More Screenings and Expansion

With NIFFA Regional launching next month, additional encore screenings at Dendy Cinemas, and Melbourne’s final Red-Carpet Gala still to come, NIFFA’s journey is just beginning. The festival has not only celebrated Indian cinema but also strengthened cultural ties between India and Australia, promising an even bigger and more inclusive platform for filmmakers in the coming years. 🎬✨