After capturing hearts across two continents, My Melbourne is ready for its much-awaited sequel and this time, the cinematic canvas gets even richer. The Indo-Australian anthology, which wowed audiences earlier this year with its tender, thought-provoking tales of identity and belonging, is all set to return with a brand new line up of Indian cinema’s most celebrated storytellers – Rajkumar Hirani, Shoojit Sircar, Anjali Menon, and a returning Onir.
If that sounds like a dream team, it is.
The second edition of My Melbourne, produced by Mind Blowing Films and presented by the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), promises another round of powerful narratives that travel across borders, cultures, and hearts based on themes around identity, gender, race, sexuality, and disability.
Earlier this year, IFFM director Mitu Bhowmick Lange had told Indian Link that a second chapter was already in the works. She shared how My Melbourne had organically become “a great learning experience for local Australian film students and emerging filmmakers, a chance to observe the craft up close, and to be mentored by the best in the international industry.”
For those who watched the first edition, which featured Rima Das, Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali and Onir, the film was a statement. About diversity, about empathy, and about the everyday, extraordinary lives that so often go untold. Released in March 2025, the anthology won Best Film at the UK Asian Film Festival, and set the bar high for what storytelling can look like when two nations come together with shared purpose.
“My Melbourne has proven that stories told with authenticity and heart can transcend borders,” Mitu said during the official announcement. “This new chapter gives us the chance to collaborate with some of Indian cinema’s finest while uplifting fresh voices from underrepresented communities in Australia.”
Each filmmaker brings a distinct lens. Rajkumar Hirani, whose name is synonymous with socially rooted blockbusters like the Munnabhai Series and 3 Idiots, sees the anthology as “an opportunity to tell a story that is both intimate and universally resonant.” Anjali Menon, the maker of Bangalore Days calls it a journey that “builds empathy and brings people closer.” Shoojit Sircar, creator of Piku adds, “Stories rooted in the local can carry global significance.”
And for Onir, returning to the anthology feels like coming home. “It’s a story still unfolding,” he said.
Expressions of interest open on July 15 via www.iffm.com.au, and with the My Melbourne sequel, the next cinematic chapter in this India-Australia creative collaboration begins.
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