How India-Australia deal at IFFI flung open new doors for Indian films globally

GOA: India’s film industry just landed a heavyweight partner. At the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), three MOUs (memorandums of understanding) were signed on November 21 formalising a three-year screen partnership between the Indian and Australian entertainment sectors. It is the strongest institutional tie-up between the two countries’ film industries to date.

The deal opens the door to expanded co-productions, shared festival platforms, educational exchanges and crucially, improved distribution networks for Indian cinema across Australia. With one of the world’s largest Indian diasporas and growing appetite among Australians for Hindi and regional Indian films, the collaboration promises substantial commercial gains for Mumbai and India’s broader content ecosystem.

Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Nicholas Reece, said Australia’s enthusiasm for Indian cinema had reached a tipping point. “More Australians than ever before are embracing Indian cinema and all its colour, passion and energy,” he noted. The partnership, he added, would strengthen ties between India and Melbourne whilst creating local jobs and expanding the Indian film industry’s global footprint.

Festival director of the Indian Film Festival Melbourne and founder of Mind Blowing Films, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, called it a “transformative moment” for both screen industries. The framework encompasses expanded festival linkages, academic partnerships between film schools, and significantly, increased distribution access that will help Indian content reach Australian audiences more readily. “These new pathways support filmmakers, students, producers and storytellers from both nations,” she said.

The timing is strategic. India’s content production is booming, yet international distribution remains a chokepoint. Australia, with its substantial Indian viewership and established streaming infrastructure, offers a gateway to English-speaking markets beyond. The tie-up also signals India’s growing confidence in exporting not just films but entire production ecosystems.

Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Sanjay Jaju, lent government weight to the initiative, underscoring New Delhi’s commitment to deepening cultural diplomacy through cinema. For Indian studios, producers and technicians, the partnership opens doors that were previously closed—access to Australian co-production funds, talent pools and distribution channels that could transform the economics of Indian filmmaking itself.

The agreement marks a watershed moment: India’s screen industry is no longer just looking inward.