Welcome to the Northern Territory edition of the
National Indian Film Festival of Australia (NIFFA)

Australia’s first and only national celebration of Indian cinema returns in 2026 with an expanded program and a historic national footprint.

We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary support from audiences, filmmakers, and partners that has enabled NIFFA 2026 to grow into the largest national celebration of Indian cinema anywhere in the world outside India, spanning 13+ cities, presenting 32+ films in official selection across 15 Indian languages, with every film screening as an Australian, International, or World Premiere.

We thank the filmmakers and the global industry, along with key partners such as the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), for entrusting us with their work. That trust is both an honour and a responsibility, one we carry with great care as we present these stories to Australian audiences.

True to its spirit as a festival for filmmakers, by filmmakers, and of filmmakers, NIFFA 2026 also features a dynamic program of red carpets, special screenings, panel discussions, and industry conversations, creating space not just to showcase cinema, but to engage with it meaningfully. Public NIFFA listings show the festival now stretching from major capitals into regional centres including Darwin and Alice Springs, reflecting a genuinely national reach.

I have fond memories of the Northern Territory, as we once flew to Alice Springs just to capture a few shots at Standley Chasm for a dance sequence in the film Deewane, directed by Harry Baweja. As we move into a co-production era, the Northern Territory and its picturesque locations offer a broader canvas for the evolving story between Australia and India. Today, the Territory adds its own distinctive voice to that story, with NIFFA bringing Indian cinema to Darwin and Alice Springs and creating a new chapter in the relationship between India and Australia’s Top End and Red Centre.

We are especially grateful to Tourism and Events NT and Screen Territory for their support, and to partners across the Territory who recognise the cultural and creative value of giving Indian cinema a platform in this remarkable part of Australia. I am particularly thankful to Deckchair Cinema and Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, whose public program is hosting NIFFA in Darwin and helping create space for stories and cinema that unite. In Alice Springs, we look forward to screening at the iconic Araluen Arts Centre.

The Northern Territory edition of NIFFA is more than a festival stop. It is part of a larger vision, one that connects cinema, culture, community, and commerce between Australia and India, while bringing world cinema into conversation with one of the oldest living cultures on earth and one of Australia’s most visually powerful landscapes.

It is your platform. We invite you to embrace it, use it, and make it your own, a shared cultural space that celebrates diversity, fosters dialogue, and enriches Australia’s vibrant screen culture.