The Australian Centre for Indian Cinema has announced plans to launch Australasia’s largest celebration of Indian cinema with the National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA). Running from 13-16 February 2025, this landmark event will be the first of its kind, bringing the vibrant spirit of Indian cinema to audiences across seven Australian cities.
In a bold initiative to bring Indian cinema to the forefront, Dendy Cinemas, NDTV, and Val Morgan have joined as key stakeholders. With Dendy’s extensive network of cinemas, NDTV’s reach as a major Indian news media platform, and Val Morgan’s expertise in cinema advertising, NIFFA is positioned to be a cinematic extravaganza of unprecedented scale.
Anupam Sharma, a respected filmmaker and Australia’s foremost expert on Indian cinema, conceived the festival and will lead its organisation. Sharma is collaborating with Peter Castaldi, an industry veteran with a storied background in film festival management, who will serve as the festival director. Both Sharma and Castaldi bring decades of experience and were instrumental in establishing some of Australia’s first Indian film festivals back in the 1990s.
NIFFA promises a weekend packed with film screenings and cultural events in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Darwin, and Hobart. An as-yet-undisclosed city will host the festival’s opening night party, featuring exclusive screenings, workshops, panel discussions on topics such as co-productions, investment, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Alongside screenings, NIFFA will also offer development grants for Australian screen projects with connections to Indian culture, furthering ties between the two countries’ film industries. An awards segment will also be included, with honourees to be announced in November.
With NIFFA, Australia is set to experience the colour, drama, and creativity that defines Indian cinema, marking a new era in cultural and cinematic collaboration between India and Australasia.
Sanjay Pugalia, NDTV’s Director and Editor-in-Chief, said: “As NDTV expands globally and the Indian diaspora flourishes across Australasia, partnering with this premier celebration of Indian cinema felt like a perfect fit. We at NDTV are happy to amplify the festival’s spirit worldwide, bringing it to Indian communities across the globe and celebrating the ever-growing impact of Indian filmmaking on the international stage.”
Sharon Strickland, CEO of Dendy Cinema, said: “Dendy Cinema is honoured to partner with the National Indian Film Festival of Australia, bringing the best of Indian cinema to audiences across Australia. With a resurgence of Indian films making a strong impact at the global box office, this collaboration highlights our commitment to showcasing diverse and culturally significant stories. We are excited to support this festival, celebrating the vibrant creativity and growing influence of Indian filmmaking on the world stage.”
Sharma said: “Australia was craving for a professional national celebration of Indian cinema, and it is an absolute honour to receive the support of mainstream Australia with Dendy as our major partner and NDTV as media partner. This will be one of the rare film festivals which will be produced by filmmakers.
“One of the most important and exciting aspects of the festival will be the programming coverage on NDTV about Australia-India cultural and artistic ties, which will reach a potential audience of over 350 million across NDTV platforms. Money cannot buy such exposure for Australian cultural links with India.”
Festival Director, Peter Castaldi, said: “I am delighted to have been invited to take such an important role in this vital Indo-Australian cultural and business initiative. On the back of the co-production treaty, sparking a resurgence of film links and high box office revenue in Australasia for pan Indian films, it makes sense to offer a national audience the opportunity to enjoy a professionally curated taster of the vitality of the amazingly rich and diverse Indian production sector. I look forward to working with the NIFFA to deliver exciting, informative and entertaining experiences for all Australians.”
Paul MacGregor, Director of Strategy and Marketing at Val Morgan, said: “The record-breaking success of Indian films in Australia over the past three years is a clear indication of the strong and growing appetite for a national festival like this.
“We are excited to be working the team at Australian Centre for Indian Cinema on the inaugural festival, which not only celebrates the cultural richness of Indian cinema but also opens an exciting and unique opportunity for brands to connect with this high-value, culturally diverse audience.”
The festival has also received support from all the major distributors of Indian films in Australia, NZ, and Fiji, including Forum Films and others.