Top of the line talent and a robust #MeToo programme at the fest which runs from October 25 to November 1
MUMBAI MIRROR (October 25, 2018)

With Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star celebrating a milestone, it’s hardly a surprise that this year the festival will rise beyond anything it has done before. From the vast selection of films that will screen to the talent that will attend, Mumbai will play host to India’s most exciting and leading film festival. While the festival celebrates films from India and across the world, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is not just about the films but the discussions and conversations that surround it. So, while you are planning your week’s itinerary, here’s our top 5 reasons to make the festival a part of your week!

Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, said, “It is a very difficult time. We move into a celebration of cinema with a broken heart but with a resolve to keep the conversation going. The lineup this year is the best we have managed both in terms of talent and films. We are hoping that this 20-year milestone is the starting point to a new chapter both for MAMI and for the industry.”

Incredible line-up of films…
The ‘World Cinema’ category will screen 64 films from 43 countries in 37 languages and include 14 female directors, ranging from Chile, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Canada and Poland to some closer to home from the subcontinent such as Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Singapore, in languages like Azeri, Icelandic, Hebrew and Guizhou Dialect to Sinhala, Swahili, Tagalog and Wayunikee. While the category is known to feature some true masters of cinema like Lee Chang-dong, Paweł Pawlikowski, Jafar Panahi, Jean-Luc Godard, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Jia Zhangke, Alfonso Cuarón, Hong Sang-soo and Hirokazu Kore-eda, the festival will also celebrate favourites like BlacKkKlansman (Cannes Film Festival), Sorry to Bother You (Sundance Film Festival), Rafiki (the first Kenyan film to be selected at Cannes Film Festival), Berlinale winner Mug by Małgorzata Szumowska and Sundance winner The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Desiree Akhavan.

Local heroes: Indian filmmakers
The selection this year is a cauldron filled with India’s delicious cultural diversity. It spans multiple states and languages including Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Gaddi. This special edition of the festival marks the return of a host of creators from the Jio MAMI with Star family. Aadish Keluskar (his film Kaul won the Young Critics Choice Award in 2015) returns to the competition section with his latest Jaoon Kahan Bata Ae Dil and Rima Das returns with her third feature Bulbul Can Sing — a coming of age tale and her third consecutive feature at the festival after Man With The Binoculars (2016) and Village Rockstars (2017).

#MeToo Programme at the Festival….
The #Metoo movement has taken the country by storm and is fast gaining momentum. Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star stands in solidarity with the movement and with the complainants. The festival not only supports the movement but would like it to continue to evolve into a more nuanced discussion that brings clarity and solutions.

The #MeToo programme at the festival is curated by filmmaker Ruchi Narain. There are 3 conversations and one workshop planned as part of the programme. The speakers include Aamir Khan, Parvathy, Kabir Khan, Anjali Menon, Shonali Bose, Renuka Shahane. The workshop on Sexual Harrassment at the workshop will be conducted by Anusha Khan and Asiya Shervani. The discussions will be moderated by Ruchi Narain and journalist Deepanjana Pal.

Masters and masterclasses…
While the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) will screen over 200 films in the coming week, one of the biggest highlights of the festival this year are the Masterclasses by some of the world’s most renowned and accomplished personalities in film. Filmmakers Darren Aronofsky, Sean Baker and Lucrecia Martel will talk about their work and interact with the legions of fans they have in the country.

Experience India gold and world premieres…
The prestigious India Gold section is the exclusive competition category for the latest Indian films from across the country. Jio MAMI with Star will premiere 8 top of the line Indian Films in competition this year. This includes three world premieres with Ridham Janve’s The Gold-Laden Sheep and The Sacred Mountain, Aadish Keluskar’s Jaoon Kahan Bata Ae Dil and Vinit Chandrasekharan’s Buddha. Watched by a Jury of esteemed film personalities from around the world, the India Gold Selection is a platform that has premiered breakout films like Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court, Gurvinder Singh’s Chauthi Koot, Raam Reddy’s Thithi, Rima Das’ Village Rockstars, Shlok Sharma’s Haraamkhor and Avinash Arun’s Killa.