The 16th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is all ready to begin on August 14, and this year’s opening film promises to be a poignant and powerful experience. ‘Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox), starring acclaimed actor Tillotama Shome, will kick off the festival with its Australian premiere. The film had its world premiere earlier this year at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival and is now ready to reach new audiences in Melbourne.
‘Baksho Bondi’ is a Bengali-language drama co-directed by first-time filmmaker Tanushree Das and cinematographer-director Saumyananda Sahi.
It follows the life of Maya, played by Shome, a woman juggling multiple roles; house cleaner, chicken farmer, laundry worker, while also caring for her husband who is suffering from PTSD and raising their teenage son.
The plot thickens when Maya’s husband is suddenly linked to a murder investigation. This unexpected twist throws Maya’s already complicated life into deeper chaos.
Speaking about the film, Tillotama Shome shared her deep personal connection to the project. “’Baksho Bondi’ is incredibly close to my heart. Playing Maya taught me how to listen to silences, to recognize strength in the smallest actions, and to understand the quiet forms of resilience that women display every day, often unnoticed by the world,” she said.
Shome is not just the lead actor but also one of the producers of the film.
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The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is popular for promoting diverse voices and regional stories, and this year’s opening night selection reflects that mission.
IFFM 2025 will showcase a strong line-up of regional independent films, highlighting stories from various corners of India. Among them is ‘Village Rockstars 2’ by Rima Das, which continues the journey of Dhunu, a young guitarist balancing her love for music with her family responsibilities. Das’ original ‘Village Rockstars’ won global acclaim, and the sequel recently bagged a top award at the Busan International Film Festival.
Another film, ‘Feminichi Fathima’ by Fasil Muhammed, tells the simple yet profound story of a housewife from Ponnani whose decision to buy a new mattress becomes a personal act of independence.
The festival will also screen ‘Humans in the Loop’, a drama by Aranya Sahay about a divorced Adivasi woman working as an AI data labeller, and ‘Boong’, directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, which follows a boy from Manipur searching for his missing father.
Onir’s ‘We Are Faheem & Karun’ explores a love story between two men in a remote Kashmiri village, touching on themes of forbidden love.
Other entries include ‘Angammal’, a Tamil film by Vipin Radhakrishnan about a city-educated son ashamed of his mother’s traditional attire, and veteran filmmaker Goutam Ghose’s ‘Parikrama’, which connects the journey of an Italian documentarian with a displaced Indian village boy along the Narmada River.
The festival will run until August 24 and has support from the Victorian Government.