Some of India's biggest names in film and fashion are heading to Melbourne, Australia, to take part in an extravaganza of some of India's best cultural exports, which begins on Friday.
Among the star-studded guest list, actors Anil Kapoor, Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut will join filmmakers Rajkumar Hirani and Nikhil Advani, as well as designers Anamika Khanna and Gaurav Gupta for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).
As well as highlighting the best in Indian cinema, the festival will showcase Indian fashion during a special awards show and fashion parade.
Actress and model Sonam Kapoor will be the show-stopper as she walks the ramp during the runway show at the National Gallery of Victoria. Guests will be treated to two very special shows by India's leading designers Anamika Khanna and Gaurav Gupta.
They will be joined by Australian fashion greats such as milliner Richard Nylon, designer Susan Dimasi and Indian-born, Melbourne-based designer Roopa Pemmaraju, whom the Australian High Commission sponsored at India Fashion Week in 2014.
Billed as the southern hemisphere's greatest annual celebration of Indian cinema, the festival will be held from 14 to 27 August 2015 at venues across Melbourne.
Film fans will be able to catch a variety of Indian cinema including mainstream Hindi cinema, art house and cinema in regional Indian languages, Indian films that cross international borders, classics from India's rich cinematic history and films from the Subcontinent - Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.
The festival is a highlight of the ongoing collaboration in film and fashion between India and Australia.
Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling said important elements of our culture, like film and fashion, showed the similarities between Australians and Indians were much greater than the differences.
"Australians, like Indians, love cinema. The first Australian and Indian films were made within a few years of each other in the early 20th century," he said.
"I am delighted that through this festival, Australians will not only enjoy some of the best Indian films but also experience India's vibrant culture and explore the richness of Indian cinema.
"Film is one of the best and most authentic ways we can each learn about other cultures."
The Australia India Council is a proud sponsor of the 2015 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. For more details on the festival go to: www.iffm.gov.au
