MUMBAI: A new Australian finance and production entity to fund development and production of a slate of features between Australia and India was announced at the Cannes Film Festival. It is called Southern Sitara.
Founded by investment and strategy duo Roshni Pandey and Jagdish Sidhu—who manage a portfolio across Southeast Asia, London, and Australia—Southern Sitara will co-produce with award-winning production company TEMPLE, based at Disney Studios Australia in Sydney.
Conceived by filmmaker Anupam Sharma (who previously triggered the Australia India Film Fund), Southern Sitara will provide development funding, production investment, gap financing, and cash flow loans for eligible projects. Targetting films with budgets between AUD 5–11 million, it uses a hybrid capital model combining proprietary funds with co-raised capital, offering structured financing and short to mid-term working capital solutions.
Encouraged by the India-Australia co-production treaty and local incentives, the initiative is supported by prominent Indian diaspora figures in Australia. These include Drs Pradnya and Tej Dugal (Maasa, Farewell Amor) via Jhumka Films; London based international media investor Jacqui Miller-Charlton (MBE); Sydney-based investor Dr Chandru Tolani; and angel investor Shallu Kundra—all with prior investment in the Australia-India film space.
Southern Sitara has secured first-look distribution deals with ICON Film for English-language releases and Forum Films for Indian-language titles.
The legal counsel is Janine Pearce of JP Media Law. Communications will be led by Victoria Buchan of The Lantern Group, with Hema Upadhya handling PR in India.
The group has also onboarded a strong lineup of Australian producers and creatives for executive and key creative roles, including Lisa Duff (Last Cab to Darwin), Jannine Barnes (Downriver), Cathy Rodda (Bromley – Light After Dark), Victoria McIntyre Wharfe (The Flood), Ben Ulm (Shark Tank Australia), and First Nations producer Jodie Bell (Doug the Human).
Sidhu will oversee finance and compliance, Pandey will lead strategy and investor relations, and Sharma will serve as the creative face of Southern Sitara.
Speaking from Cannes, Sharma said, “Australia provides unprecedented support to screen professionals. Southern Sitara builds on this to enable authentic cultural storytelling.”
From the Gold Coast, Pandey added: “We’ve been piloting business models to de-risk film investment, and Australia’s treaties and incentives have helped us transform the narrative.”
Sidhu from Singapore said: “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.”
The first projects include Anupam Kher’s directorial thriller, shot extensively in Australia, and ‘Shadows‘, a horror film blending First Nations and Indian mythologies.
Also on the slate is ‘The Indian Cowboy’ – a story inspired by India’s only country music singer Bobby Cash, who was discovered in Australia.
Southern Sitara will also raise investment funds for a slate including Richard Jameson’s Bidjara Kumari, which has had development investment from Screen Australia and Screen Queensland; FRAMED, which is being developed with assistance from Screen Australia, Screen NSW, and SBS, and Dr Sanjaya Senanayake’s Chilli Chicks and Heart Attacks, written by Victoria McIntyre and developed with assistance from Screen Canberra.
