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.

Filmmaker Shlok Sharma receiving an award in 2015 for his film Haraamkhor

MUMBAI MIRROR (September 19, 2018)

India’s biggest film festival, the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Slowly becoming the world’s gateway to the best of Indian cinema, the festival announced its line-up for the prestigious India Gold section — the exclusive competition category for latest Indian films from across the country.

A platform that 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, Jio MAMI with Star will premiere nine 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. One Indian title, Dominic Sagma’s MA•AMA, is also in the International Competition section that focuses on debut filmmakers from across the world.

The selection this year spans multiple states and languages including Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Gaddi. The edition also marks the return of a host of creators from the Jio MAMI with Star family. Kannada drama Balekempa is the directorial debut of Ere Gowda (co-writer of Raam Reddy’s Thithi which played in the International Competition section in 2015), Aadish Keluskar (his 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).

Apart from world premieres and latest films from MAMI alumni creators, the selection also has current festival favourites (Indian titles that have travelled far and wide, making waves at festivals around the world this year) — Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s (Labour Of Love) — new film Jonaki (World Premiered at IFFR this year) and filmmaker Ivan Ayr’s Soni (World Premiered at Venice International Film Festival this year).

Kerala State Film Award winner Light In The Room from Rahul Riji Nair is also in the selection as is Kabir Chowdhry’s quasi-documentary Mehsampur.

The India Gold films will be watched by a Jury of esteemed film personalities from around the world. The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star this year will take place between October 25 to November 1.

Films in INDIA GOLD

Balekempa | Dir Ere Gowda | India | 2018| 103 mins

Buddha | Dir Vinit Chandrasekharan | India | 2018 | 100 mins

Bulbul Can Sing | Dir Rima Das | India | 2018 | 90 mins

Jaoon Kahan Bata Ae Dil | Dir Aadish Keluskar | India | 2018 | 105 mins

Jonaki | Dir Aditya Vikram Sengupta | India | 2018 | 95 mins

Light In The Room | Dir Rahul Riji Nair | Malayalam | 97 mins

Mehsampur | Dir Kabir Chowdhry | Indian | 2018 | 99 mins

Soni | Dir Ivan Ayr | India | 2018 | 97 mins

The Gold-Laden Sheep and The Sacred Mountain | Dir Ridham Janve | India | 2018 | 97 mins


Filmmaker Rima Das won the top prize in India Gold section last year for Village Rockstars, presented by Deepika Padukone, who is a member of the festival board


A still from Das’s Bulbul Can Sing, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this month. Its India premiere is slated for Jio MAMI with Star 201