The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has announced its list of nominations for the 2025 edition, celebrating the best of Indian cinema and streaming. Now in its 16th year, the festival is the biggest celebration of Indian film outside India.
Supported by the Victorian Government, IFFM will run from 14 to 24 August, with the annual NAB IFFM Awards Night taking place on 15 August. The awards honour outstanding achievements in film and streaming, with winners selected by a jury of top Australian film and cultural personalities, including Lion director Garth Davis and producer Nadia Tass.
This year’s nominations span mainstream hits, independent films, regional cinema, and popular web series. Projects were considered from 15 June 2024 to 14 June 2025. For OTT entries, only shows available on platforms in Australia were eligible.
Film Highlights
Leading the pack in the film categories are Homebound, Village Rockstars 2, Stree 2, and Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox). Other notable films include Kalki 2898 AD, Maharaj, and Superboys of Malegaon.
The Best Indie Film category features a strong list including Angammal, Boong, Feminichi Fathima, Humans in the Loop, and We are Faheem and Karun.
In the acting categories, familiar faces like Abhishek Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Shraddha Kapoor are joined by newcomers such as Junaid Khan and Bhanita Das.
Top Film Nominations:
Best Film:
- Homebound
- Kalki 2898AD
- L2: Empuraan
- Maharaj
- Meiyazhagan
- Stree 2
- Superboys of Malegaon
Best Indie Film:
- Angammal
- Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox)
- Boong
- Feminichi Fathima
- Humans in the Loop
- Village Rockstars 2
- We are Faheem and Karun
Best Actor (Male):
- Abhishek Bachchan (I Want to Talk)
- Adarsh Gourav (Superboys of Malegaon)
- Gugun Kipgen (Boong)
- Ishaan Khatter (Homebound)
- Junaid Khan (Maharaj)
- Manoj Bajpayee (The Fable)
- Mohanlal (L2: Empuraan)
- Vishal Jethwa (Homebound)
Best Actor (Female):
- Anjali Sivaraman (Bad Girl)
- Bhanita Das (Village Rockstars 2)
- Geetha Kailasam (Angammal)
- Kareena Kapoor Khan (The Buckingham Murders)
- Shamla Hamza (Feminichi Fathima)
- Sharmila Tagore (Puratawn)
- Shraddha Kapoor (Stree 2)
- Tillotama Shome (Baksho Bondi)
Best Director:
- Aranya Sahay (Humans in the Loop)
- Lakshmipriya Devi (Boong)
- Neeraj Ghaywan (Homebound)
- Onir (We are Faheem and Karun)
- Reema Kagti (Superboys of Malegaon)
- Rima Das (Village Rockstars 2)
- Varsha Bharath (Bad Girls)
- Vipin Radhakrishnan (Angammal)
OTT Highlights
Streaming content is also in the spotlight this year. Popular series Paatal Lok 2, Black Warrant, Manorathangal, and CA Topper are leading the OTT nominations.
Best Web Series:
- Black Warrant
- Gyaarah Gyaarah
- Khauf
- Kota Factory Season 3
- Manorathangal
- Paatal Lok Season 2
- Thallivattam Paalayam
- Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper
Best Actor (Female) – Web Series:
- Ananya Panday (Call Me Bae)
- Monika Panwar (Khauf)
- Nimisha Sajayan (Dabba Cartel)
- Parvathy Thiruvothu (Manorathangal)
- Rasika Dugal (Mirzapur 3)
- Shabana Azmi (Dabba Cartel)
- Tillotama Shome (Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper)
Best Actor (Male) – Web Series:
- Abhishek Kumar (Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam)
- Ali Fazal (Mirzapur 3)
- Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok Season 2)
- Jitendra Kumar (Kota Factory Season 3)
- Mammootty (Manorathangal)
- Manav Kaul (Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper)
- Zahaan Kapoor (Black Warrant)
The IFFM 2025 Awards promise a star-studded celebration of Indian creativity in Melbourne, with winners to be announced at the gala ceremony to be held at the on 15 August.
For more details, click here.
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