Ali Fazal to judge short film competition at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2018

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), the southern hemisphere's annual celebration of Indian cinema on is going to take place from 10 to 22 August, with actor Ali Fazal as the special guest and judge of the 2018 BMW Short Film Competition.

Actor Ali Fazal during red carpet of Victoria and Abdul. Reuters

IFFM Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange announced that the competition would be providing a platform for aspiring and emerging filmmakers to showcase their work. The winning entry will be shown at screenings throughout the festival, and the winning filmmakers will be flown across the globe, the Australian winner to India, and the Indian winner to Australia.

The theme of this year's festival is 'Inclusion' which aims at providing an opportunity to Australians, to explore the richness and diversity of contemporary Indian cinema, from Bollywood box office hits, documentaries and art-house premieres, a Bollywood dance competition and master classes with key figures from the Indian film industry.

“The theme of inclusion is the principal belief of our festival and we very excited to explore it through our BMW Short Film Competition”, Bhowmick said.

Actor Ali Fazal has been named by Variety as one of the ‘10 actors to watch in 2017’. Fazal’s recent credits include the lead role of Abdul opposite Dame Judi Dench’s Queen Victoria in Victoria and Abdul and has recently signed on Prassthanam with Sanjay Dutt and Milan Talkies with Tigmanshu Dhulia.

"I am thrilled to be a part of IFFM 2018. This will be my first time at the festival and I am honoured to be on the jury for the short film competition. It’s great to know that we will get to see some wonderful work by talent from across India and filmmakers down under.” said Fazal.

Past winners of the IFFM Short Film Competition include 2013 winner Jehan Ratnatunga, currently working at YouTube in Los Angeles, and 2011 winner Varun Sharma, who has taken up a role at the leading Indian production company Yash Raj Films.

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne was established in 2012 as an initiative of the Victorian Government and has established itself as an important part of the State’s cultural calendar. In 2016, the festival was honoured with the much respected Melbourne Award for contribution in Multiculturalism.