Tillotama Shome's Baksho Bondi to open Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025
Tillotama Shome's Bengali film 'Baksho Bondi' will be the opening movie at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025 on August 14. The film is about the silent strength of working women and was earlier shown at the Berlin Film Festival.
by India Today Entertainment Desk · India TodayIn Short
- Tillotama Shome’s Bengali film 'Baksho Bondi' to open IFFM 2025
- The film will be premiered in Australia on August 14 at the festival's 16th edition
- The film had world premiere at 75th Berlin International Film Festival
Actor Tillotama Shome’s Bengali film 'Baksho Bondi' has been selected as the opening film for the 2025 edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). The film, co-produced by Shome and actor Jim Sarbh, will have its official Australian premiere on August 14, kicking off the 16th edition of the festival.
Directed by debut filmmakers Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi, 'Baksho Bondi' - titled 'Shadowbox' in English - tells the story of Maya, a working woman living in a Kolkata suburb. Played by Shome, Maya’s journey is marked by quiet strength, everyday resilience, and powerful silences. The film had its world premiere earlier this year at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival and is a co-production between India, France, the US, and Spain.
Sharing her thoughts on the honour, Shome said in a statement, “Baksho Bondi is incredibly close to my heart. Playing Maya was a lesson in listening to silences, in discovering strength in small acts, and in understanding how quiet resilience shapes women’s lives in a world that often overlooks them."
“After Berlin, bringing Maya’s story to Melbourne feels special... because of the incredible strength and spirit of inclusion that radiates from Mitu, the festival director of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. This film is a love letter to working women, to dusty afternoons in Barrackpore and to the courage that quietly persists even when no one is watching," she added.
Festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange praised the film as a tender, honest, and visually stunning piece of cinema. She added, “We are honoured to open IFFM 2025 with 'Baksho Bondi', a film that exemplifies the strength of Indian independent cinema while touching on themes that are deeply personal and globally relatable. Tillotama Shome’s performance as Maya is nothing short of extraordinary.”
She further said, “It is exactly the kind of cinema we are proud to showcase at IFFM, and we are excited for Australian audiences to experience this gem on our Opening Night.”
Supported by the Victorian Government, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025 will take place from August 14 to 24. The IFFM Awards Night, celebrating achievements across film and OTT, is scheduled for August 15.
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