Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali Onir and Rima Das’s film "My Melbourne" to open IFFM 2024

Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Renowned filmmakers Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali Onir and Rima Das’s anthology movie titled "My Melbourne" is all set to open the 15th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM)

The anthology is centred around the vibrant city of Melbourne. Inspired by true incidents, each short film explores themes of race, gender, sexuality, and disability. The films include “Emma” by Rima Das, “Jules” by Imtiaz Ali, “Nandini” by Onir and “Setara” by Kabir Khan.

Director Imtiaz Ali said he was moved by the story of two very different yet displaced women in “marvellous Melbourne".

Ali added: “To bring the film to life with the most bright and diverse group of young, local minds, turned out to be a huge learning experience for me. I could share my insights and test my ideas freely with the different creative voices that comprised the team and all of us came out richer from the wonderful My Melbourne experience. Hope you like our piece – Jules in My Melbourne.”

Kabir Khan said that hearing the story of “Setara” for the first time in 2021 immediately drew him in.

“True stories portraying the triumph of the human spirit always have a special appeal for me. Setara's unique escape from Afghanistan to Melbourne and her finding a sense of belonging through cricket made this a story I had to tell.”

“Working with local emerging creatives and the wonderful girls' cricket teams of Melbourne made this an even more authentic and wonderful experience,” he added.

"My Melbourne" is a production supported by the Victorian Government’s screen agency Vic Screen and the Federal Government’s Screen Australia.

Director Rima Das said it was a very emotional and uplifting experience, dealing with everything sensitively and trusting the process.

Das shared that the theme of her “film is disability and we wanted to keep it very authentic and real. We worked with a mix of senior actors and relatively new actors, including members of the deaf community.”

Onir concluded by saying: “My Melbourne for me is a film that celebrates what Melbourne stands for… A space that embraces diversity and celebrates inclusion. The film captures this essence through various migrant experiences .”

Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Festival Director of IFFM said she is thrilled to open this year's festival, which begins on August 15 and will bring the curtains down on August 25, with 'My Melbourne'.

“A film that truly encapsulates the essence of our festival's mission to celebrate diverse voices. This project is a testament to the power of storytelling in bridging cultures and fostering understanding," Lange added.

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