Manoj Bajpayee, Mohanlal, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sharmila Tagore nominated for Best Actors, while Homebound, Kalki 2898AD and L2 : Empuraan among others lead Best Film nominations at the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025. Homebound, Kalki 2898AD, L2: Empuraan, Maharaj, Meiyazhagan, Stree 2 and Superboys of Malegaon have been nominated in the Best Film category. Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Winners: Vikrant Massey’s ‘12th Fail’ Wins Best Film; Kartik Aaryan Bags Best Actor Award for ‘Chandu Champion’ – Check Out Full List!

Best Actor and Director Nominees

For the Best Actor (Male), names such as Abhishek Bachchan, Adarsh Gourav, Gugun Kipgen, Ishaan Khatter, Junaid Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Mohanlal and Vishal Jethwa are contending in the category. Anjali Sivaraman, Bhanita Das, Geetha Kailasam, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shamla Hamza, Sharmila Tagore, Shraddha Kapoor and Tillotama Shome have been nominated for Best Actor (Female). Aranya Sahay, Lakshmipriya Devi, Neeraj Ghaywan, Onir, Reema Kagti, Rima Das, Varsha Bharath, Vipin Radhakrishnan have been named in the Best Director category. IFFM 2021 Winners: Suriya, Vidya Balan, Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni Win Big at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne; Check Out the Full List!

Best Web Series Category

For the Best Web Series category, Black Warrant, Gyaarah Gyaarah, Khauf, Kota Factory Season 3, Manorathangal, Paatal Lok Season 2, Thallivattam Palayam and Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper are in contention. Supported by the Victorian Government, the festival will run from August 14 to 24. Winners will be selected by an esteemed jury comprising some of the most respected names in Australian cinema and cultural landscape including Garth Davis, director of Dev Patel- Nicole Kidman's LION, Theatre Director and Film Producer - Nadia Tass.

Web Series Stars Shine at IFFM 2025

Talking about the contenders in Best Actors (Male and Female) in a Web Series, include Ananya Pandey, Monika Panwar, Nimisha Sajayan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rasika Dugal, Shabana Azmi,Tillotamma Shome, Abhishek Kumar, Ali Fazal, Jaideep Ahlawat, Jitendra Kumar, Mammootty, Manav Kaul and Zahaan Kapoor. 100 Years of Guru Dutt: IFFM 2025 To Honour Actor-Filmmaker With Special Screenings of His Iconic Films ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ (See Post)

IFFM Shares Post on Instagram – See Post

 

IFFM 2025 To Celebrate Guru Dutt’s Timeless Legacy

The festival will also be celebrating Guru Dutt’s legacy with Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool screenings. Pyaasa stars Guru Dutt, Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker. The drama film, which was directed by Guru Dutt, was set in Calcutta and told the story of Vijay, a disillusioned Urdu poet whose works are underestimated by publishers and criticized for focusing on social issues rather than romantic themes. Guru Dutt’s 1959 romantic drama Kaagaz Ke Phool is the first Indian film in CinemaScope and the last film officially directed by him.It marked a technical revolution in Indian cinematography and is widely considered to be ahead of its time. The film is a part of syllabi in many film schools and is considered to be the finest self-reflective film to have ever been made in India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 14, 2025 02:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).