Southern Sitara Launches at Cannes to Back Australia-India Film Slate

•  A new Australia-India film venture, Southern Sitara launched at Cannes.
•  Co-founded by Roshni Pandey and Jagdish Sidhu, the initiative partners with Sydney's Temple and is backed by prominent diaspora investors.
• The slate includes Anupam Kher’s thriller, Shadows, and The Indian Cowboy with distribution secured through ICON Film and Forum Films.

A new collaborative finance and production initiative called Southern Sitara was introduced at the Cannes Film Festival, aimed at financing and producing a collection of Australian-Indian feature films. Co-founded by investment strategists Roshni Pandey and Jagdish Sidhu, this venture seeks to support culturally significant projects with budgets ranging from AUD 5 to 11 million, utilizing a hybrid capital model that combines proprietary funds with co-raised financing. The company will collaborate with the award-winning Sydney-based production house, Temple which is located within Disney Studios Australia. Southern Sitara provides a comprehensive range of support, offering development funding, production investments, gap financing, and cash flow loans for qualifying projects. This initiative is strategically aligned with the co-production treaty between India and Australia, alongside various state and federal screen incentives. 

The concept was developed by filmmaker Anupam Sharma, who previously established the Australia India Film Fund, and Southern Sitara enjoys backing from prominent diaspora investors such as Drs Pradnya and Tej Dugal (Jhumka Films), Jacqui Miller-Charlton (MBE), Dr. Chandru Tolani, and angel investor Shallu Kundra. Distribution is guaranteed through first-look agreements with ICON Film (for English-language projects) and Forum Films (for Indian-language titles). Legal affairs are managed by Janine Pearce of JP Media Law, with communications overseen by Victoria Buchan (The Lantern Group) in Australia and Hema Upadhya in India. 

 “Australia provides unprecedented support to screen professionals. Southern Sitara builds on this to enable authentic cultural storytelling", said Filmmaker Anupam Sharma in context to the Cannes film festival.

Investment strategist Roshni Pandey  Pandey stated, "We've been piloting business models to de-risk film investment, and Australia's treaties and incentives have helped us transform the narrative".

"Australia's production incentives and treaties offer a uniquely de-risked path to global film investment, aligning with our focus on compliance and strong ROI", said Jagdish Sidhu, Investment Strategist from Singapore

The creative team features notable producers including Lisa Duff, Jannine Barnes, Cathy Rodda, Victoria McIntyre Wharfe, Ben Ulm, and First Nations producer Jodie Bell. While Sidhu is responsible for finance and compliance, Pandey will manage investor relations, and Sharma will take on the creative leadership role. Upcoming projects consist of Anupam Kher’s thriller, Shadows, a mythological horror film, and The Indian Cowboy, inspired by Indian country music artist Bobby Cash. The larger slate includes Bidjara Kumari, FRAMED, and Chilli Chicks and Heart Attacks, each developed with assistance from various Australian screen agencies.