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The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has announced the nominations for its 17th edition, with 'Sitaare Zameen Par,' 'Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1,' 'Saiyaara,' 'Members of the Problematic Family,' and 'Not a Hero' emerging among the top contenders across different categories.
The festival, which will be held from August 13 to August 23, 2026, celebrates Indian films and streaming content from across languages and regions. Supported by the Victorian Government, IFFM is one of the biggest international festivals dedicated to Indian cinema. This year's nominations include films and series released in theatres as well as on OTT platforms. The festival has announced nominations across categories including Best Film, Best Indie Film, Best Director, acting awards, Best Series, Best Documentary Film and Best Film from the Subcontinent. In the Best Film category, the nominated titles are Haq, Jarann, Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Saiyaara, Sitaare Zameen Par, Sharthopor and The Great Shamsuddin Family. The Best Indie Film category includes Ammang Haelbeda (Don't Tell Mother), Full Plate, Kikkran De Phull (Flowers of Acacia), Lala and Poppy, Mayilaa - Semmalar Annam, Members of the Problematic Family, Not a Hero and Pankhudiyaan (Petals in the Wind). The race for Best Director features Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (System), Chandrasish Ray (Porshi), Mohit Suri (Saiyaara), Ramalingam Gowtham (Members of the Problematic Family), Rima Das (Not a Hero), Rishab Shetty (Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1), RS Prasanna (Sitaare Zameen Par) and Shazia Iqbal (Dhadak 2). Among the nominees for Best Performance (Male) are Aamir Khan, Ahaan Pandey, Bhuman Bhargav Das, Dulquer Salmaan, Mammootty, Ranveer Singh, Rishab Shetty and Sanjay Mishra. The Best Performance (Female) category includes Aneet Padda, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Kirti Kulhari, Neena Gupta, Rajshri Deshpande, Rani Mukerji, Rituparna Sengupta and Yami Gautam Dhar. The nominations also cover streaming content, with series such as Kohrra: Season 2, Matka King, Sapne Vs Everyone, Freedom at Midnight: Season 2 and The Ba***ds of Bollywood making the list. Winners will be selected by a jury made up of members from Australia's film industry and cultural sector. Along with the awards ceremony, this year's festival will also feature film premieres, special screenings, panel discussions, masterclasses and industry events. (ANI)
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