Stree 2, L2 Empuraan, Paatal Lok 2, Black Warrant lead nominations at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne; see full list here

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has officially unveiled its power-packed nominations for the 2025 edition, celebrating the best in Indian cinema and streaming content. Now in its 16th year, IFFM stands as the largest celebration of Indian film outside India, and this year's award contenders reflect the depth, diversity, and dynamism of Indian storytelling across languages and platforms.

Supported by the Victorian Government, the festival will run from August 14 to 24, with the highly anticipated IFFM Awards Night set for August 15, honouring cinematic excellence across film and OTT categories. 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 and Nicole Kidman's LION, and theatre director and film producer Nadia Tass. 

With projects considered from June 15, 2024 to June 14, 2025, and OTT nominations restricted to platforms available in Australia, this year's lineup spans mainstream superhits, indie revelations, regional gems, and binge-worthy series. Among the most-nominated films are Superboys of Malegaon, Stree 2, Maharaj, L2: Empuraan. On the streaming front, Paatal Lok 2, Black Warrant, CA Topper, and Manorathangal dominate the series categories.

Best Film

Homebound
Kalki 2898AD
L2 : Empuraan 
Maharaj
Meiyazhagan 
Stree 2
Superboys of Malegaon 

Best Indie Film

Angammal 
Baksho bondi (Shadowbox)
Boong
Feminichi Fathima (Feminist 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 (Feminist Fathima)
Sharmila Tagore - Puratawn 
Shraddha Kapoor - Stree 2
Tillotama Shome - Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox)

Best Director

Aranya Sahay - Humans in the loop 
Lakshmipriya Devi : Boong
Neeraj Ghaywan - Homebound
Onir - We are Faheem and Karun 
Reema Kagti - Superboys of Malegoan 
Rima Das - Village Rockstars 2 
Varsha Bharath - Bad Girls 
Vipin Radhakrishnan - Angammal 

Best Web Series

Black Warrant
Gyaarah Gyaarah
Khauf 
Kota Factory Season 3
Manorathangal
Paatal Lok Season 2
Thallivattam Palayam 
Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper

Best Actor (Female) - Web Series

Ananya Pandey - Call Me Bae
Monika Panwar - Khauf 
Nimisha Sajayan - Dabba Cartel
Parvathy Thiruvothu - Manorathangal
Rasika Dugal - Mirzapur 3
Shabana Azmi – Dabba Cartel
Tillotamma Shome - Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper

Best Actor (Male) - Web Series

Abhishek Kumar - Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam 
Ali Fazal - Mirzapur Season 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

Aamir Khan is set to be the chief guest for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in August. The festival will be celebrating Aamir’s work through a special retrospect on his films with screenings and conversations with Aamir including his recent success Sitaare Zameen Par.

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