The 17th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has revealed its selection, recognizing some of the most famous films, performances and filmmakers from Indian cinema.This year’s festival will take place from August 13 to August 23, 2026, with the support of the Victorian Government. Along with its award ceremony, the event will feature premieres, special screenings, masterclasses, panel discussions, industry interactions and cultural programs.
Strong competition in the Best Film category
The Best Film Awards competition features productions from multiple languages and genres. The selected films are Haq, Jarann, Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Saiyaara, Sitaare Zameen Par, Sharthopor and The Great Shamsuddin Family. ‘Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1’ has emerged as one of the most popular after successful performances. The Best Director category is an equal competition. The nominees include Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Chandrasish Ray, Mohit Suri, Ramalingam Gowtham, Rima Das, Rishab Shetty, RS Prasanna and Shazia Iqbal.
Aamir Khan, Mammootty and Rishab Shetty among the nominees for Best Actor
The Best Performance category (Men) has several big names from India. Starring Aamir Khan, Ahaan Panday, Bhuman Bhargav Das, Dulquer Salmaan, Mammootty, Ranveer SinghRishab Shetty and Sanjay Mishra. Meanwhile, Best Performance (Female) nominees include Aneet Padda, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Kirti Kulhari, Neena Gupta, Rajshri Deshpande, Rani Mukerji, Rituparna Sengupta and Yami Gautam Dhar. For Rishab Shetty, this year’s nomination is very important because he has gained recognition as a filmmaker as well as an actor.
Advertising and video groups show popular topics
The festival has also recognized the best work in social media. The Best Performance in a Series category includes Ambrish Verma, Arif Zakaria, Barun Sobti, Kunal Kemmu, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Manav Kaul, Manoj Pahwa, Vijay Varma, Anandhi, Huma Qureshi, Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli, Mona Singh, Rasika DugalSeema Pahwa, Shefali Shah and Swastika Mukherjee. Nominees in Best Series are ‘Baai Tujhyapayi’, ‘Kohrra: Season 2’, ‘Matka King’, ‘Real Kashmir Football Club’, ‘Sapne Vs Everyone’, ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’, ‘Perfect Family’ and ‘Freedom at Midnight: Season 2’.Winners in all categories will be selected by an independent jury consisting of respected individuals from the Australian film industry and culture. The awards will be presented at the closing ceremony of the festival later in August as reported by IANS.