SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with distinctive content to entertain all Australians
25 October, 2024
Media releases
Join the cultural celebrations of Diwali, Deepavali, Bandi Chhor Diwas and Tihar across the SBS network with an exciting collection of content that includes original drama Four Years Later, new podcast My Regional Diwali, a feast of cooking shows, audio content in nine languages, and more.
L-R: Shahana Goswami in Four Years Later, Anupam Sharma in Brand Bollywood Downunder, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Bride and Prejudice, and Ranveer Brar in The Wandering Chef.
SBS has something for all Australians during this year's Festivals of Lights, with a bigger than ever cross-network offering to celebrate Diwali, Deepavali, Bandi Chhor Diwas and Tihar. From now until November, SBS is sharing a distinctive and curated collection of movies, documentaries, recipes, articles, cultural explainers, student resources and festival guides. The Festivals of Lights are celebrated by over a billion people globally, including by more than one million Australians of South Asian heritage.
SBS Managing Director, James Taylor said, SBS is proud to share the rich and vibrant celebrations of the Festivals of Lights across the network, enabling all Australians to engage in the diverse festivities that are grounded in unity and joy.
This includes special Diwali and Deepavali collections on SBS On Demand and World Movies, SBS Food shows and recipes highlighting India's diverse regional culinary heritage, and audio content via new destination channel SBS South Asian with programs in nine languages.
SBS Audio will offer a new podcast series, My Regional Diwali, which features conversations with regional Australians to understand how they celebrate Diwali. The My Diwali podcast returns with another insightful season, with new interviews with South Asian sportspeople, politicians and artists including cricket royalty, former captain of the Australian women's cricket team, Lisa Sthalekar, and Australian Bollywood star, Pallavi Sharda. SBS Hindi will present a healthier take on Diwali, featuring culinary expert Sandeep Pandit, sharing recipes for sugar-free Diwali sweets. SBS Audio will also publish cultural explainer videos on the celebration, run audience competitions, produce guides on community festivals, and share community news in Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu via new destination channel SBS South Asian.
SBS Spice, the English-language digital channel for Gen Z, South Asian Australians, will release new audio and video series, Chosen Family,for those celebrating away from home. The series explores how young people are finding a sense of identity and belonging in Australia, giving voice to students studying away from home, interracial couples, and queer and trans people on how they create their own special Diwali traditions and how they make the festival personal.
A curated shelf of fun and vibrant titles inspired by the festival will be available to binge on SBS On Demand. This includes SBS's commissioned original drama Four Years Later, which tells the difficult love story of newlyweds Sridevi and Yash who are separated after their wedding in India when Yash is offered a medical traineeship in Australia. Iconic feature documentary Brand Bollywood Downunder celebrates Bollywood cinema with stars Anupam Kher, Farhan Akhtar and Ashutosh Gowariker. Laugh out loud with Meet the Patels, a comedy following an Indian-American man who embarks on a quest to find a wife the traditional Indian way.
An SBS World Movies movie marathon kicks off on Friday 1 November with a non-stop line up of feel-good cinema. Beloved Bollywood remake, Bride and Prejudice, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Martin Henderson and Naveen William Sidney Andrews, sees a mother eager to find suitable husbands for her five daughters (5:25 pm); award-winning visual masterpiece Last Film Show follows 10-year-old Samay and his newfound fascination of film (7:30 pm); Maja Machronicles a mother's journey of self-acceptance, caught between family expectations and her own truth (9:35 pm); and popular dramedy, India Sweets And Spices, starring Sophia Taylor Ali, Rish Shah and Ashritha Kancharla sees a college freshman return home and upend her family's well-ordered life with her brash new independence (12:05am).
Over in SBS Food, audiences are in for a treat including the return of David Rocco's Dolce Indiaon Monday to Friday at 1:00pm (14 October to 28 October); Hidden Flavours of India: North Eastfilmed in picturesque north-east India with new episodes Monday to Friday at 4:30pm (14 October to 1 November). Chef Ranveer Brar searches for forgotten recipes in The Wandering Chefwith new episodes Monday to Friday at 5:00pm (14 October to Tuesday 29 October); and learn new cooking tips with Luke Nguyen as he explores Southern India in Luke Nguyen's India from Monday to Saturday at 5:30pm (21 October to 1 November).
Audiences can also engage with a special three-part social media video series for Diwali in collaboration with food influencer, The Modern Desi. Watch how to make traditional Indian recipes for Diwali celebrations, highlighting India's diverse regional culinary heritage.
SBS's education arm, SBS Learn isfostering understanding in the classroom with ready-to-use resources for teachers with activities for primary and secondary students including how, why and when Diwali/Deepavali is celebrated. Students can deepen their cultural understanding by making a paper diya, (pronounced dee-aa, an oil lamp used during the Festivals of Lights) and by making a South Asian sweet treat (mithai) - barfi.
Performers at the Diwali celebration organised by Sunraysia Indian Association in Mildura
Around Australia, SBS will partner with more than 20 community
Asia, Australia & Oceanic Stories
09/07/2026
SBS statement Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion
9 July, 2026
Media releases
SBS acknowledges the gravity of the matters before the Roy...
08/07/2026
Well over half of Australia have tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup on SBS
7 July, 2026
Media releases
Australia's Round of 32 match against Egypt a...
08/07/2026
SBS and Koorie Heritage Trust announce three-year partnership to celebrate First...
08/07/2026
The right team. The right time.' How The Killings at Parrish Station stuck t...
08/07/2026
Australians in Film and Screen Australia launch FUTURE VISION Forward to elevate...
07/07/2026
New appointments to Screen Australia board 7 July 2026
The Albanese Labor Government has made new appointments to the Screen Australia board.
Dr Tania Chamber...
07/07/2026
The right team. The right time.' How The Killings at Parrish Station stuck t...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
30/06/2026
Statement regarding GetUp Save Our SBS' campaign
30 June, 2026
Media releases
The GetUp Save Our SBS' campaign is an independent initiative. SBS ...
27/06/2026
A record 4.84 million Australians choose SBS as the Socceroos advance at FIFA Wo...
25/06/2026
The Name You Know, The Lineup You'll Love - SBS2 Returns
25 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Viceland rebrands as SBS2 on Friday 21 August, bringing the c...
23/06/2026
Australians in Film and Screen Australia's talent development initiative UNT...
22/06/2026
FIFA World Cup 2026 fever grows, as more than one third of Australians tune in ...
18/06/2026
Techtel delivers Haivision live streaming system for TAFE NSW St Leonards, enabl...
16/06/2026
Australians place growing trust in SBS News
16 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has been recognised as one of Australia's most trusted news providers, ran...
16/06/2026
Share your views on Screen Australia and the future of the industry 15 June 2026
Your feedback matters.
Following the instrumental insights provided in 2025,...
16/06/2026
Techtel Supports T-Motion RCCP-2A Controller Upgrade for Major Australian Broadc...
15/06/2026
4.78M AUSSIES TUNE IN FOR SOCCEROOS WIN OVER T RK YE ON SBS
15 June, 2026
Media releases
Match had a Total TV average audience of 3.035 million, with over ...
15/06/2026
SBS Head of Commissioning John Godfrey to depart after 18 years
15 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Head of Commissioning John Godfrey will depart the broadca...
15/06/2026
Techtel Completes Media Production Setup for a major AFL sporting organisation
Sports
15 June Written By Suzanne Costello
(Sydney, Australia 15 June 2026)...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
11/06/2026
Australian Games Industry Glossary of Terms 10 June 2026
From DAU and EULA to COT and QADE, here's a list of game industry terms, industry jargon and their...
10/06/2026
Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast
10 June, 2026
Media releases
WATCH THE TRAILER
Smash-hit survival series Alone Australia drops its highly anticipa...
10/06/2026
DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH ...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
03/06/2026
Clarification: SBS's position on definitions of antisemitism
3 June, 2026
Media releases
Statement by Mandi Wicks, SBS Director of News and Current Aff...
03/06/2026
Do not read this media release! Andy Lee's smash-hit show returns to ABC thi...
01/06/2026
SBS confirms its broadcast sponsors for FIFA World Cup 2026
1 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has secured Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Com...
28/05/2026
Get fit for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with new SBS On Demand features for the ult...
28/05/2026
Six films, one unmissable collection. First Facts documentaries debut on 10 Stre...
28/05/2026
Emma Watkins brings all-new Emma's Dance Club to ABC Kids 28 May 2026
Emmas Dance Club. Image credit: Sarah Wilson.
The ABC, Screen Australia and Screen N...
26/05/2026
Three new kids' digital series set to hatch from ACTF and Screen Australia i...
25/05/2026
SBS announces exclusive TV broadcast schedule for FIFA World Cup 2026
21 May, 2026
Media releases
Luke Wilkshire, Tommy Oar, Andrew Redmayne, Sarah Walsh ...
22/05/2026
Statement regarding 2026 National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award for the late...
21/05/2026
2026 delegation for Partner with Australia (UK) initiative announced 21 May 2026
Screen Australia and Ausfilm have today announced the delegation for the 2026 ...
20/05/2026
From Gulkula to the nation: Yothu Yindi Foundation and NITV deepen national acce...
20/05/2026
SBS appoints David Fernandez as National Manager, Digital & TV Sales
20 May, 2026
Media releases
SBS has appointed David Fernandez as National Manager, Dig...
20/05/2026
First Nations Factual Co-production Development Fund launched to elevate Indigen...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
15/05/2026
Joint Statement: News Bargaining Incentive
28 April, 2026
Media releases
The vibrancy of Australian democracy relies on the robust and open exchange of new...
15/05/2026
Call it Deltavision, Australia's through to the Grand Final of this year'...
14/05/2026
SBS Board appoints Jane Palfreyman Managing Director
13 May, 2026
Media releases
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Board of Directors is pleased to an...
14/05/2026
Transforming bold ideas into market-ready productions: Digital Originals returns
14 May, 2026
Media releases
SBS, NITV and Screen Australia have announced ...
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with distinctive content to entertain all Australians 
