India, Aug. 10 -- Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar is donning a new hat these days, that of a judge. For the second year in a row, the acclaimed director is on the jury of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), selecting the Best Short Films at the festival. Ahead of the 2025 IFFM, Shoojit speaks to Hindustan Times about the experience and the difficulty of judging art.

Shoojit says he does not like judging cinema, but made an exception for the IFFM. "IFFM is very dear to me. The organisers are dear friends and this particular festival is almost like a family affair. This is my fifth or sixth visit there. I normally don't participate in juries and being a judge. But for this, I made an exception," he tells us.

But the filmmaker agrees th...