Australia India Film Council announced to encourage strong commercial and cultural links

Sydney, 30 November: Seven well-known screen industry professionals have today announced their involvement in the creation of the Australia India Film Council (AIFC), which is set to encourage strong commercial and cultural links between Australia, India and Bollywood; the biggest film industry in the world.

Joining the AIFC as its inaugural board members will be producers Sheila Jayadev (Stateless, Here Out West), Jomon Thomas (Hotel Mumbai, Monkey Man) Deepti Sachdeva, Kartik Mohandas and Vikrant Kishore. Anupam Sharma (unIndian, The Run) was nominated as Chair, and Julie Marlow former head of Film Victoria as Vice Chair by the board. All members bring with them years of experience and leadership within the film industry and a proven commitment to diversity.

Kartik Mohandas

The new council will be working in collaboration with practitioners, producers, investment bodies and seeking support from government bodies for the benefit of Australian screen professionals.

Anupam Sharma

In a message of support to the council’s launch Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “At a time when our countries are facing profound social and economic challenges, initiatives like the Australia India Film Council (AIFC) are an opportunity to explore our capabilities and build on the special, growing dosti between our two countries.”

Julie Marlow

“India is one of the most prolific film industries in the world and Australia is one of the most professional film industries in the world,” said AIFC Chair, Sharma. “By providing a platform for the two to engage, AIFC will be able to encourage a whole new

Deepti Sachdeva

AIFC Vice Chair Julia Marlow said: “I’m honoured to be part of the Australia India Film Council, an important new initiative to foster cultural and economic collaboration between Australia and India.”

Sheila Jayadev

Messages of support have poured in from dignitaries, diplomats, and film agencies. Indian High Commissioner in Australia HE Mr Manpreet Vohra said: “As our bilateral ties deepen and diversify, it is good to see the establishment of a dedicated body like the AIFC to concentrate on film links between the two countries.”

Jomon Thomas

The AIFC aims to provide a platform that cohesively promotes Australian cultural and financial links with the Indian film industry for the benefit of Australia and Australian screen practitioners. The AIFC will encourage a shared growth of Indian and Australian film relations, enriching the Australian film culture and providing export benefits for Australia by stronger commercial links with the biggest film industry in the world – India.

Vikrant Kishore

“I’m excited about the potential for growing collaborations and partnerships, at a time when we are seeing more and more content being made for, and embraced by, a global audience,” said Sheila Jayadev

Pritesh Raniga

“More than ever now there is a need to bring the Australia-India film trade work and relations under one umbrella as content, formats and delivery modes evolve. A body like this will help tap into the collective knowledge and experience of people who have been working in this space and help shape formal

engagement and discourse. AIFC will be democratic and have a presence on social media and online communities and this excites me a great deal as we need more visibility of what’s happening in the Australia-India film space. The potential we could explore from a trade perspective by streamlining our engagement is equally promising. I am looking forward to supporting this initiative and helping it grow,” Deepti Sachdeva, board member, said.

Jomon Thomas, board member, said, “I believe that the Australia India Film Council (AIFC) is a bold step towards building a portal for creative visionaries to converge. It is a wonderful opportunity to dissolve creative cultural borders between these two great nations.”

“It was about time that such a body was established. The exploration of cross-cultural synergies given the burgeoning ties between the two countries demands proactive action and nurturing. AIFC has the potential to become the apex body for Australia-India content collaboration,” Kartik Mohandas, board member, said.

Vikrant Kishore, board member, said, “Today, there is still a huge gap connecting the creative industries of Australia and India, it is vital that we have organisations/groups working closely with creatives across the two countries, and beyond! Thus, I find the formation of the Australia Indian Film Council is at the right time, with a broader aim to connect film professionals and film academics, promote mutually beneficial collaboration, facilitate research and policy development and build a network of practitioners, academics, researchers, and film/media students.”