'Kennedy' to close Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023

Mumbai: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's "Kennedy", a Mumbai-set police noir, will serve as the closing film at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2023, the organisers announced on Thursday.

Kashyap and the film's lead cast Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone will be present for the film's screening on the festival's final day on August 20, the organisers said in a statement. The two actors will share their "experiences and insights into their roles in the film".

"I am delighted that 'Kennedy' is the closing film at IFF, Melbourne. It’s the first Indian film festival we are playing in the world and I am excited to know the response of the audience. I will be there to attend the same and gauge the response and I'm sure that they’ll like the film, like the global audience who’s seen the film till now," Kashyap said.

"Kennedy" had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film was screened under the ‘Midnight Screenings’ section of the prestigious film gala.

The movie features Bhat as the titular insomniac ex-cop, who finds himself entangled in a corrupt system while seeking redemption, according to the official plotline.

Mitu Bhowmick Lange, founder and festival director of IFFM, hailed Kashyap for his "groundbreaking work" in cinema. The filmmaker's directorial credits also include titles like "Black Friday", "Dev D", "Gangs of Wasseypur" movies and "Raman Raghav 2.0".

" 'Kennedy' is no exception. It is a powerful film that engages the audience from start to finish. We are proud to have 'Kennedy' as our closing night film and look forward to welcoming Anurag Kashyap and the talented cast to the festival," she added.

The 14th edition of IFFM is set to take place from August 11 to 20.

According to the organisers, the film gala will be a "spectacular celebration of Indian cinema as well as culture, offering over 100 films in 20 languages, discussions and events for film enthusiasts and the wider community".