MUMBAI: The first Australian Film Festival of India (AFFI) in Mumbai kick started on 26 March at Cinemax, Versova. The festival will screen films by noted Australian director Bill Bennett and other films made by the Australian film fraternity.

The festival will feature 20 films including Paperback Hero starring Hugh Jackman and Bennett’s Kiss or Kill among others.

Said AAFI, director Anupam Sharma, “The initiative started with a single idea of Cinema-sharing responsibilities between countries and India is our first initiative solely due to its ever-growing popularity, wide reach and common emotional ties towards Cinema. The festival will give the Indian audience a glimpse of our cinematic sensibilities and we are proud to have this in India, a land where Cinema plays a pivotal role.”

The AFFI is a two-day festival organised by An Australian Film Initiative, a recognised body that seeks to market, promote and distribute Australian screen culture in emerging and non-traditional markets.

The initiative is a brainchild of Sydney-based filmmaker Sharma, film critic and festival director Peter Castaldi, Shahnaab Alam and Bennett.

The AFFI will end on 27 March.