Nominations for Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023 announced!

#TheIndianFilmFestivalofMelbourne (#IFFM) has announced the nominations for its highly anticipated 14th edition. As the largest Indian film festival outside of Indian soil, IFFM continues to captivate audiences worldwide. This year, the festival proudly welcomes a new addition to its esteemed jury panel, the Oscar-winning Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford, renowned for directing acclaimed films such as “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Contract.” IFFM is the only Indian film festival outside of the Indian soil that is backed by the government of another country and with that IFFM stands as a remarkable celebration of Indian cinema and cultural exchange. With its finger on the pulse of the industry, the festival has embraced the changing landscape of film consumption by introducing the OTT Awards in 2021. Now in its third year, the OTT Awards will honor outstanding achievements in three categories. The IFFM advisory committee after meticulous consideration of hundreds of films and series from across Indian cinema, have finalized the nominations of films and series which have released between 1st June 20222 to 31st May 2023. Leading the pack in the film categories, including Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Actress, are notable productions such as “Darlings,” “Monica O My Darling,” “Ponniyin Selvan,” and “Kantara.” These films have captivated audiences with their stellar performances, engaging storytelling, and artistic excellence. The nominations reflect the diversity and richness of Indian cinema, acknowledging the blockbusters and the indie gems on the same platform. In the OTT category, series such as “Trial By Fire,” “Jubilee,” and “Delhi Crime Season 2” have garnered the highest number of nominations. These exceptional series have made a significant impact with their compelling narratives, outstanding performances, and remarkable production values. For OTT nominations, only series on platforms which are available to be streamed in the Australian market have been considered. The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne has consistently pushed boundaries and showcased the best of Indian cinema to a global audience. With the support of its dedicated jury and industry professionals, the festival continues to champion innovation, creativity, cultural diversity and inclusivity. The winners of the prestigious IFFM 2023 Awards will be announced during the festival, at their annual gala night on 11th August 2023 which is set to be hosted at the iconic Hamer Hall in Melbourne, one of the world’s most sophisticated concert halls. Here is the complete list of nominees. Best Film….. Bhediya – Hindi Brahmastra – Hindi Darlings – Hindi Jogi – Punjabi Kantara – Kannada Monica, O My Darling – Hindi Pathaan – Hindi Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2 – Tamil Sita Ramam – Telugu Best Indie Film….. Aatma Pamphlet – Marathi Agra – Hindi All India Rank – Hindi Family – Malayalam Gulmohar – Hindi Hadinelentu (Seventeeners) – Kannada Joram – Hindi Pine Cone – Hindi The Storyteller – Hindi Tora’s Husband – Assamese Zwigato – Hindi Best Director….. Anant Mahadevan – The Storyteller Anurag Kashyap – Kennedy Ashish Avinash Bende – Aatma-Pamphlet (Autobio-Pamphlet) Devashish Makhija – Joram Don Palathara – Family Kanu Behl – Agra Mani Ratnam – Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2 Nandita Das – Zwigato Prithvi Konanur – Hadinelentu (Seventeeners) Rima Das – Tora’s Husband Siddharth Anand – Pathaan Vasan Bala – Monica, O My Darling Best Actor (Male)…… Dulquer Salmaan – Sita Ramam Kapil Sharma – Zwigato Manoj Bajpayee – Joram Manoj Bajpayee – Gulmohar Mohit Agarwal – Agra Paresh Rawal – The Storyteller Rajkummar Rao – Monica, O My Darling Rishab Shetty – Kantara Shah Rukh Khan – Pathaan Vijay Varma – Darlings Vikram – Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2 Best Actor (Female)….. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2 Akshatha Pandavapura – Koli Esru Alia Bhatt – Darlings Bhumi Pednekar – Bheed Kajol – Salaam Venky Mrunal Thakur – Sita Ramam Neena Gupta – Vadh Rani Mukherjee – Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway Sai Pallavi – Gargi Sanya Malhotra – Kathal Best Series….. Dahaad Delhi Crime Season 2 Farzi Jubilee SHE Season 2 Suzhal: The Vortex The Broken News Trial By Fire Best Actor (Male) – Series…. Abhay Deol – Trial By Fire Abhishek Bachchan – Breathe – Into The Shadows Season 2 Aparshakti Khurana – Jubilee Prosenjit Chatterjee – Jubilee Shahid Kapoor – Farzi Sidhant Gupta – Jubilee Vijay Sethupathi – Farzi Vijay Varma – Dahaad Best Actor (Female) – Series….. Rajshri Deshpande – Trial By Fire Rasika Dugal – Delhi Crime Season 2 Shefali Shah – Delhi Crime Season 2 Shriya Pilgaonkar – The Broken News Sriya Reddy – Suzhal: The Vortex Tillotama Shome – Delhi Crime Season 2 Wamiqa Gabbi – Jubilee Best Documentary….. Against The Tide Dharti Latar Re Horo – (Tortoise Under The Earth) Fatima Kucheye Khoshbakht (And, Towards Happy Alleys) To Kill A Tiger While We Watched