Actor Tillotama Shome’s Bengali film Baksho Bondi will serve as the opening at 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, setting the stage for the 16th edition of the festival.
Directed by first-time filmmakers Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi, the film is set in a Kolkata suburb and follows Maya, played by Shome, a working woman whose story unfolds through moments of quiet strength and resilience.
The movie, titled “Shadowbox” in English, had its world premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. It is a co-production between India, France, the US and Spain.
“‘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,’ Shome said in a statement. (PTI)
