Canberra, March 20 (UNI) Veteran actor Anupam Kher will be honoured with the ‘International Indian Cinema Icon Award’ at the National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA) 2026, a major platform celebrating Indian cinema overseas.
Apart from Anupam, director Anubhav Sinha and Leena Yadav will be commemorated with special awards.
Expressing happiness over the honour, Anupam said that Australia is very close to his heart and he sees genuine curiosity among the people there towards Indian stories.
The festival will also feature a special screening of his directorial venture, “Tanvi the Great,” which tackles the sensitive subject of autism. The film’s lead actress, Shubhangi Dutt, will also be present.
This year, the festival has placed a special emphasis on Punjabi cinema. A high-level delegation of filmmakers and industry leaders, led by PTC Network CEO Raji Shinde, has arrived in Australia. Three Punjabi film co-productions between India and Australia will also be announced during the festival.
Additionally, Sameer Modi, CEO of Pocket Films, will also conduct a masterclass on short films and micro dramas popular among Indian audiences.
A free public screening will also be held on March 22 at 8 pm at Melbourne’s famous Federation Square, to enable more people to be a part of this Indian celebration.
The second edition of the festival, taking place in 14 cities across Australia, will showcase over 32 films in 18 Indian languages. The festival opened with the red-carpet premiere of “Boong,” the first Indian (Manipuri) film to win a BAFTA. The festival will run from March 18 to July 5.
