Melbourne- Australian filmmaker, journalist and academic Dr Vikrant Kishore's documentary Resisting Casteism in Australia, which examines caste discrimination within the Indian diaspora, will have its festival premiere at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (MDFF) 2026 on July 19 at Cinema Nova, Melbourne.
The 61-minute English-language documentary will be screened at 12:15 pm and will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the director and several contributors featured in the film.
Structured as a personal reflective documentary, Resisting Casteism in Australia follows Dr Kishore on a 3,500-kilometre road journey through Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Coffs Harbour, documenting conversations with academics, community leaders, activists, medical professionals and members of the Indian-Australian community about the continuing impact of caste on migration, identity, belonging and everyday social life in Australia.
It asks how incidents often dismissed as isolated or personal may point to a wider problem that remains difficult to name. The film places Dalit voices, community experiences, and acts of resistance at the centre of this discussion.
Designed as a resource for universities, community organisations and public institutions, Resisting Casteism in Australia explores questions of equality, migration and democratic inclusion while encouraging audiences to continue conversations beyond the screening.
Rather than presenting a single viewpoint, the documentary brings together a range of lived experiences and professional perspectives. Contributors include Dr Ratan Lal, Associate Professor at Hindu College, University of Delhi; Professor Hari Bapuji of the University of Melbourne; community advocates Asmita Mahire Singh, Aparna Ramteke, and Dr Parag Moon; along with Neeraj Ramteke, Dr Rupali S. Bhamare, Dr Haroon Kasim, and medical practitioners Dr Prashant Khobargade and Dr Sangeeta Khobargade.
" The contributors were selected because they brought different experiences, locations and forms of knowledge to the film. Some are academics and researchers. Some are community advocates. Some speak from family life, professional life or lived experience. I wanted the film to include people who could speak openly and thoughtfully about caste in Australia without turning them into representatives of an entire community", Kishore told The Mooknayak.
According to the filmmakers, the documentary does not seek to provide definitive answers about caste discrimination. Instead, it invites audiences to listen to individual experiences and reflect on recurring patterns of exclusion reported by members of the Indian diaspora across different Australian cities and professions.
The project also marks a personal milestone for Dr Kishore. Nearly three decades after co-directing the student documentary Yathartha in 1998, which explored caste discrimination in Indian universities, he revisits similar questions in an Australian context. The earlier film featured Dr Ratan Lal, who also appears in the new documentary, reflecting on how caste has evolved and travelled beyond India's borders through diaspora communities.
The filmmaker says the documentary was shaped over several years through conversations that emerged after university lectures, public forums, media interviews and community meetings, where members of the Indian-Australian community privately shared experiences of caste-based prejudice, exclusion and social discomfort. These repeated accounts ultimately became the foundation of the film.
The documentary also draws inspiration from discussions that followed the 2020 Hathras case in India. According to Dr Kishore, an online solidarity meeting organised in response to the incident unexpectedly opened broader conversations about caste discrimination experienced by Indian-origin communities in Australia, reinforcing the need to document these experiences.
Designed as a resource for universities, community organisations and public institutions, Resisting Casteism in Australia explores questions of equality, migration and democratic inclusion while encouraging audiences to continue conversations beyond the screening.
Film: Resisting Casteism in Australia
Director: Dr Vikrant Kishore
Festival: Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2026
Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Time: 12:15 pm
Venue: Cinema Nova, Melbourne
Running Time: 61 minutes
Language: English
Classification: E15+
Post-screening: Q&A with Dr Vikrant Kishore and contributors featured in the documentary
Dr Vikrant Kishore is an Australian filmmaker, journalist and academic. He is Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. His documentary practice examines migration, identity, cultural heritage and social justice through personal reflection, interviews and community testimony. His films include Resisting Casteism in Australia, Chhau Dance and the Mask Makers and Pariza's Lockdown Diary.
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