by Nandita Chakrabort
Shared Table Regional Heroes is one of the most personal and emotional films I have ever made. As the writer and director, I wanted to create more than just a documentary about food; I wanted to explore belonging, migration, resilience, trauma, and the deeply human need to connect with one another.
Produced by CALD Community Voices and proudly supported by the Victorian Government, the film was released at Hoyts in December 2025. Seeing it officially selected for the Remember the Future Cannes World Film Festival in March, as well as the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, felt incredibly special and affirming for all of us who poured our hearts into this project.
What moved me most during the making of Shared Table were the people I met across regional Victoria. At the Shepparton English Language Centre, I met two young Afghan boys carrying unimaginable trauma. One shared how he hid in the boot of a car for 18 hours while trying to save his young niece from the Taliban. Listening to him, I realised that this film was no longer simply about multicultural stories or food; it had become a story about survival, courage, and what people endure in search of safety and dignity.
In Nhill, we spent time with the beautiful Karen community, who fled years of persecution from the Burmese military before rebuilding their lives in regional Victoria. What stayed with me was hearing how the quiet openness of Nhill reminded them of home. Away from the city, they found familiarity in the land, the stillness, and the possibility of beginning again.
Community leader Thablay Sher spoke so beautifully about belonging. She said that home truly began for her when she bought a house; not because of the building itself, but because it finally gave her a sense of permanence, identity, and safety. That moment deeply affected me.
I was also moved by the reflections of a former deputy mayor, who spoke about the importance of unlearning the fears and ideas that distance us from one another as human beings, so we can truly come together as one community.
In Gippsland, we met a Nepalese doctor who chose regional Victoria because it reminded him of Nepal. He spoke about how settlement becomes easier when a place emotionally feels like home. That idea stayed with me throughout the making of the film – belonging is often connected to memory, landscape, and emotional familiarity.
Niru Tripathi, president of CALD Community Voices, has been as proud as a producer could possibly be. She often says that the film has eclipsed all her expectations. What began as a humble small documentary has now travelled far beyond Australia, reaching audiences around the world and connecting with people across cultures through its honesty and humanity.
“Together, we strongly believed in telling these stories with dignity, compassion, and truth.”- Niru Tripathi, producer
For me, Shared Table is ultimately about humanity. Every meal carries memory. Every migrant carries a story. And every shared table has the power to transform strangers into community. I hope audiences leave the film not only thinking about food, but also thinking about empathy, kindness, and the courage it takes to begin again.
Shared Table Regional Heroes screens at the MDFF on 14th July at Cinema Nova at 6:45pm, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers at the end.
