Australian of the Year

Fahim Hashimy is a journalist, film maker and the founder of FardaTV, an online news outlet for multicultural communities in South Australia.   

After arriving in Adelaide from Afghanistan in 2008, Fahim was interested by the history of the Afghan cameleers who explored South Australia in the 1800s. Fascinated by this connection between his homeland and his new home, Fahim drew on his journalistic background to create the documentary film Afghan Cameleers in 2014, showing that diversity has always been part of Australia's story.  

In 2009, Fahim launched FardaTV in Adelaide to connect multicultural communities and educate new Australians about Australian rights and responsibilities. FardaTV produces programming in up to eight languages, with Fahim volunteering countless hours as he coordinates production from his boutique studio.   

In 2016, he launched the Ghan International Film Festival Australia which has grown from a small community gathering into an annual six-day festival with screenings in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The festival shares the work of silenced Afghan filmmakers with the outside world.