Darlings, Kantara, Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2, Jubilee, and Trial By Fire are among the 2023 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne nominees. The awards commemorate Indian cinema's best and highlight diversity and inclusiveness.
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023 nominees have been announced, with 'Darlings,' 'Kantara,' 'Agra,' 'The Storyteller,' 'Sita Ramam,' and 'Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2' dominating the film categories. 'Jubilee' and 'Trial By Fire' top the nominations in the series category. The nominees for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne's (IFFM) highly awaited awards have been released. IFFM, the largest Indian film festival held outside of India, continues to enchant worldwide viewers.
This year's festival welcomes a new member to its elite judging panel: Oscar-winning Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford, known for directing critically acclaimed films such as "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Contract."
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After careful study of hundreds of films and series from across Indian cinema, the IFFM advisory committee has finalised the nominees for films and series to be released between 1st June 2022 and 31st May 2023. Leading the pack in the film categories, including Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Actress, are famous productions such as 'Darlings,' 'Monica O My Darling,' 'Ponniyin Selvan,' and 'Kantara.' The nominees showcase Indian cinema's diversity and depth, recognising both blockbusters and indie treasures on the same platform.
Series such as 'Trial By Fire,' 'Jubilee,' and 'Delhi Crime Season 2' have received the most nominations in the OTT category. With their captivating tales, superb performances, and extraordinary production qualities, these exceptional programmes have made a huge effect. Only series on platforms that are accessible to stream in the Australian market were considered for OTT nominations.
The renowned IFFM 2023 Awards winners will be announced during the festival, during their annual gala night on August 11, 2023, at Melbourne's landmark Hamer Hall.
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
ABOUT INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF MELBOURNE
IFFM is the first Indian film festival outside of India that another country's government supports, and as such, it stands out as a spectacular celebration of Indian cinema and cultural interchange. The OTT Awards, now in their third year, will recognise exceptional performances in three categories.
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Melbourne's Indian Film Festival has continually pushed boundaries and presented the finest of Indian film to a worldwide audience. The festival continues to foster innovation, creativity, cultural diversity, and inclusion with the help of its committed judges and industry experts.
