Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023 nominations unveiled: Darlings, Kantara, Agra, The Storyteller, Sita Ramam, PS 1 and 2 lead film nominations

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023: In the OTT category, series such as 'Trial By Fire,' 'Jubilee,' and 'Delhi Crime Season 2' have garnered the highest number of nominations

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (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 honour 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

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