Lipstick Under My Burkha has already become a festival favourite across the globe, and Alankrita Shrivastava's film is now set to travel to Australia. The film has been picked as the opening film of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2017.
The festival, which opens on 10 August, will see 60 films in 20 languages being screened across theatres in Melbourne. This year, the festival will focus on films showcasing diversity in cinema.
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Shrivastava's film has already made an impact at festivals across the globe, including Miami Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of LA, and the Toronto International Film Festival. With a cast of stellar actors like Konkona Sensharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur, the film has earned positive reviews from critics across the board.
Speaking about the honour of opening the festival, Shrivastava said, "It is a great honour that Lipstick Under My Burkha will be opening the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. While the film has travelled to many parts of the world, it will be screened in Australia for the first time. I am really looking forward to the reaction of the Australian audience. Breaking through the cacophony of mainstream Indian cinema, it is wonderful that there is an Australian film festival that highlights independent Indian cinematic voices. Independent films are telling important stories, challenging the status quo and are important artistic expressions. I'm delighted to participate in the festival with Lipstick Under My Burkha."
The film is also set to release in India, after a long battle with the CBFC, on 28 July.
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