The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) wrapped up the shooting of the first film out of four films under the My Melbourne project.
The project brings four iconic filmmakers from India to mentor young filmmakers from Australia. The films will be shot in Melbourne and will be on the themes of diversity, race, disability, sexuality and gender. Apart from Onir, the other three films will be helmed by Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali and Rima Das.
The film, which is yet to be named, is co-directed by Onir and William Duan. It stars Arka Das, Mouli Ganguli, and Jackson Gallagher. The film was shot in five days and the story is based on grief and forgiveness. It follows the reunion of a queer Indian man, Indraneel, played by Arka, and his father, Mihir, played by Mouli, after many years of estrangement.
Onir said, “I am happy to be part of My Melbourne project. My film tells one such story of an integral part of diversity, bringing forth a warm story of a father trying to re-bond with his gay son. It was a great experience to work and collaborate with talent from Melbourne. “
Mitu Bhowmik Lange, director of the festival said, “This is a very ambitious project of love celebrating the core values of IFFM - diversity and inclusivity. The key idea was to provide a platform to emerging creatives from diverse marginalised backgrounds from various walks and abilities of Australia, mentored by some of the world’s best filmmakers. It’s an anthology of four stories weaved into one feature film called My Melbourne based on authentic migrant experiences.”
