Mumbai: The nominations for the 17th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) Awards 2026 continue the festival’s long-standing commitment to celebrating the breadth and diversity of Indian storytelling. This year’s nominations feature 15 women filmmakers, 17 women-led films and narratives, six queer stories, and works spanning nine languages, reaffirming IFFM’s position as one of the world’s most inclusive and representative platforms for Indian and South Asian screen content.
Among the women filmmakers recognised this year are Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (System), Rima Das (Not a Hero), Shazia Iqbal, Anusha Rizvi (The Great Shamsuddin Family), Paromita Vohra (Working Girls), Lesley Branagan (Brides of Aravan), Surabhi Sharma (Music in a Village Named 1PB), Karla Murthy (The Gas Station Attendant), Sahara Sharma (Ek Mutthi Badal), Brishkay Ahmed (In the Room), Shahrbanoo Sadat (No Good Men), and Vimukthi Jayasundara (Spying Stars), reflecting the remarkable range of female voices represented across this year’s nominations.
Women-led stories such as The Great Shamsuddin Family, System, Working Girls and No Good Men underscore the growing prominence of women-centric narratives, while queer stories including I Am Revathi, Brides of Aravan and Lala and Poppy celebrate authentic and diverse LGBTQIA+ experiences. Together, the nominated films represent nine languages, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, English and Nepalese, showcasing the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of contemporary Indian and South Asian cinema.
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Jul 14, 2026As one of the first major awards of the season, the IFFM Awards have consistently recognised stories that reflect the evolving landscape of Indian cinema, championing voices across regions, identities and genres while setting a benchmark for diversity in awards recognition.
Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Festival Director, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, said, “At IFFM, we have always believed that great storytelling transcends language, geography and identity. These nominations are a reflection of the incredible creative diversity shaping Indian cinema today from women filmmakers breaking new ground to powerful women-led narratives, queer stories that deserve to be seen and celebrated, and films representing the rich linguistic tapestry of our region. Being one of the first major awards of the season gives us the opportunity to spotlight voices that are pushing the boundaries of storytelling, and we are proud that our nominations continue to set a benchmark for inclusivity, excellence and authentic representation.”
