The Northern Territory Government has thrown its support behind the expansion of the National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA) into Darwin and Alice Springs, marking the first time the annual Indian film festival will have a dedicated presence in the Territory.
Backed by Tourism and Events NT and Screen Territory, the initiative is being positioned as a significant step in strengthening India–Australia cultural ties through cinema, tourism and community engagement.
The festival’s Northern Territory chapter opened in Darwin on 30 April, with NT Minister for Arts Jinson Charls formally inaugurating the event on behalf of Tourism and Hospitality and Major Events Minister Marie-Clare Boothby.
The opening night at Deckchair Cinema featured a red carpet gala premiere of Boong, described by organisers as the first Indian film to win a BAFTA award. Ministers, Members of Parliament and representatives from Indian community organisations across the Territory attended the launch, underlining the scale of support behind the initiative.
The festival then moves to screenings at Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory before travelling to Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs. Organisers said the carefully selected venues place Indian cinema inside some of the Territory’s most recognisable cultural institutions.
Welcoming NIFFA to the NT, Boothby said the government saw the festival as an important cultural platform.
“The National Indian Film Festival is the only festival of its kind in Australia, celebrating connection, community, and cinema in its many forms,” Boothby said.
“The Finocchiaro Government is proud to support the National Indian Film Festival and will continue to back Territory stories and Territory talent.”
NIFFA founder and festival director Anupam Sharma said the multi-year commitment from the NT Government signalled growing recognition of the strategic importance of India–Australia cultural engagement.
“For the Northern Territory Government to back NIFFA across multiple years is a powerful vote of confidence in the future of India–Australia cultural engagement,” Sharma said.
“This is exactly the kind of ambitious bridge-building NIFFA was created to do.”
Sharma, who has previously worked on Bollywood productions filmed in the Territory, said the NT’s landscapes remained largely untapped by Indian filmmakers despite their cinematic potential.
“For Indian producers, the NT landscapes are genuinely distinctive and remain largely unexplored by Indian productions despite obvious cinematic potential,” he said.
The expansion comes amid broader efforts by Australian governments and screen bodies to deepen ties with India across trade, migration, education, tourism and media production.
Organisers said the Territory was positioning itself not simply as a festival host, but as a potential future hub for Indo-Australian screen collaborations and co-productions.
Whether Indian studios and investors eventually establish a larger production presence in the NT remains uncertain, but the government’s multi-year backing gives the initiative institutional credibility beyond a one-off cultural event.
The festival has also received support from the Consulate General of India, Perth and several Indian community organisations in the Territory. An NT Cinema Committee is expected to be established to help guide NIFFA’s future activities in the region.
Beyond screenings, the festival plans to expand into celebrity visits, workshops, influencer engagement and community forums exploring how Indian cinema can deepen people-to-people ties while opening new opportunities in tourism and the screen industry.
For many younger members of the Indian diaspora in Darwin, the festival also carries symbolic significance.
“A die-hard Shah Rukh Khan fan and film student at Charles Darwin University, Tisha Bansal, cheekily smiles and says, ‘Abhi toh party shuru huee hai’,” organisers noted — a Bollywood phrase meaning “the party has just begun”.
The National Indian Film Festival of Australia’s Northern Territory program runs from 30 April in Darwin through to 14 June in Alice Springs. Program details are available through NIFFA’s official website.
