Western Australia has officially formed a new West Australian Indian Film Council aimed at connecting the screen and creative industries of WA and India.
The group was launched on 11 September in a ceremony overseen by Roger Cook, Premier of Western Australia. There are high hopes for this group, which has a stated goal of building ‘long-term connections’ between WA and India across the film, television, streaming, digital media and other creative industries.
Western Australian Film Council – quick links
Why the Western Australian Film Council has been established
‘WAIFC has been established around a simple proposition: that Western Australia has an opportunity to play a much greater role in the Australia-India creative relationship,’ Nilesh Makwana, WAIFC Chair and Director says.
‘Perth is geographically closer to Mumbai than Sydney, giving WA a unique position as a gateway between Australia and India and the broader Indian Ocean region.
‘India has one of the world’s most diverse and dynamic screen industries, spanning film, television, streaming, animation, visual effects and digital content. We want to build meaningful connections between these two creative ecosystems and create practical opportunities for collaboration – from co-productions and location opportunities to talent exchange, education, investment, festivals and cultural partnerships.’
The WAIFC is designed as an independent, not-for-profit council with the stated aim of being a ‘connector and catalyst for collaboration’ between Western Australian and Indian creatives, and to serve ‘producers, filmmakers, creative practitioners, businesses, educators, government, festivals and community organisations to create new opportunities across the screen and creative industries’.
It will support cross-country collaboration as well as industry delegations, networking, showcasing WA film internationally, developing talent and knowledge exchanges, and the formation of new strategic partnerships.
The launch aims to strengthen the relationship between Wester Australia and India
‘Film and storytelling have a unique ability to bring people together, deepen cultural understanding and create new opportunities for collaboration,’ Kajari Biswas, Consul General of India to Western Australia and Northern Territory says.
‘With India’s vibrant and diverse film industry and Western Australia’s growing capabilities in film and creative industries, there is further potential for partnership. We welcome this important initiative and look forward to supporting greater engagement between our two creative communities.’
As the WAIFC outlines, India’s film industry generated around AU$8.3 billion in 2025, with production of more than 2,000 films. It also noted Western Australia’s cultural and creative industries contributed around AU$6.2 billion to the state’s economy as of 2024. With a shared sense of scale and ambition, it believes the state is well-positioned to engage more broadly with the Indian creative ecosystem, learning from and working alongside it.
With Australia already having an established Australia-India co-production treaty, the work of the WAIFC aims to support and grow this partnership, and other shared endeavours.
The WAIFC believes the launch marks ‘the beginning’ of longer-term collaboration between WA and India, with plans for the relationship to further strengthen through partnerships, delegations and other cultural initiatives.
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The Indian video games market has reportedly grown significantly over recent years, with major year-on-year growth of 14.8% bringing its total revenue to AU$1.4 billion in 2025. That report arrives courtesy of data and insights firm Niko Partners, which notes India is the ‘fastest-growing video game market’ among its tracked countries, with data suggesting it will continue to grow in future.
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