Showing posts with label Smriti Kiran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smriti Kiran. Show all posts
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the new Chairperson of Jio MAMI
8:11 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (August 18, 2021)
The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) recently unveiled its plans for the coming year and edition. The blueprint for the festival will feature new leadership and a new creative vision that is attuned to the radical changes the world has witnessed in the last two years. Taking over the reins as Chairperson is actor, producer and author Priyanka Chopra Jonas. She was nominated by MAMI’s Board of Trustees, which comprises Nita M Ambani (Co-Chairperson), Anupama Chopra (Festival Director), Ajay Bijli, Anand G Mahindra, Farhan Akhtar, Isha Ambani, Kabir Khan, Kaustubh Dhavse, Kiran Rao, Rana Daggubati, Riteish Deshmukh, Rohan Sippy, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vishal Bhardwaj and Zoya Akhtar. The board also welcomed two new members to its fold, filmmaker Anjali Menon and filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.
“For us, building a unique cultural space and platform for cinema like the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival over six years has been immensely fulfilling. Now more than ever, we need to nurture the power of cinema and art to heal and help humanity move forward. I look forward to my dear friend Priyanka Chopra Jonas joining our team and leading the way for the festival to reach new heights. She is a multifaceted global artist and a force of nature, we are privileged to have her on board,” said Isha Ambani (Board of Trustees, MAMI).
“Continuing Jio MAMI’s strong tradition of female leadership, the indomitable Priyanka Chopra Jonas now joins as chairperson. She is a global icon. Her passion and vision will take MAMI to the next level,” said Anupama Chopra (Festival Director).
As a global icon and multi-hyphenate, Priyanka’s journey as an artiste has always demonstrated a deep connection and interest in diverse film cultures. Along with being an actor, producer and author, she has also been a staunch supporter of a wide range of social causes. She recently galvanised the international community to garner resources to support India’s Coronavirus emergency.
Priyanka’s unique perspective, international stature, artistic ethos and leadership will be instrumental to the festival’s new vision.
“I’m so proud to be taking on the role of Chairperson of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. I’m looking forward to working alongside powerhouse women such as Isha Ambani, Anupama Chopra, Smriti Kiran and the rest of the team, to take the festival to the next level. I’ve hit the road running… with ideas, thoughts and plans on reimagining the festival to find its rightful place in a world that has changed so much in such a short time. We’re all consuming film and entertainment very differently now and in the process, we’ve expanded the footprint of the cinema that we watch. I have always been a huge supporter and believer in films from across India and together, we hope to create a strong platform to showcase Indian cinema to the world,” said Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Chairperson).
The festival’s mission since its inception has been to bring together the Indian film industry, curate the best Indian and international cinema and bring them to the widest possible audience. But over the years it has also transformed into a year-round platform with international credibility that has set a new benchmark in the impact that a film festival in India can have. Its evolving scope along with the challenges raised by the pandemic has led to Jio MAMI 2.0.
Adapting to a new paradigm, it will have an expanded timeline. Instead of a film festival that happens over a week, the festival is now going to pan out from October 2021 to March 2022. From October onward until January, under the Year Round Programme, apart from Dial M For Films, it will hold select digital screenings and masterclasses featuring talent from all over the world. The hybrid edition of the festival will take place in March depending on how the COVID-19 situation is in India. The tentative dates of the festival are March 11 to 15, 2022.
“The new course for the festival strengthens what we collectively feel should be our focus. Bolstering the creative think tank at the academy are three bright minds — Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anjali Menon and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. I cannot wait for us to set sail,” said Smriti Kiran (Artistic Director).
Great crises are often followed by tectonic changes. While the festival will continue to stand for the celebration of great cinema and artists, there is no doubt that this is the beginning of a new chapter in its history. Jio MAMI 2.0 will have a new and focused palette. Each section and vertical has been assessed with the lens of what creates value in the current scenario and what doesn’t. This includes creating more awards and grants for Indian films and filmmakers and letting go of the International Competition section.
Over these six months (October 2021-March 2022), the festival will focus on conversations with some of the best talent in India and abroad. It will screen all the amazing Indian films that have not gotten an opportunity to be showcased because the festival did not take place last year. The digital verticals of Jio MAMI launched in 2020 to an incredible response like Dial M For Films, Storytellers Are Us: The Origin Story, Jio MAMI Industry Programme, Rashid Irani Young Critics Lab and the MAMI Year Round Programme Home Theatre will continue to create engaging programming for its national audience.
For more information, log onto www.mumbaifilmfestival.com
20th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star opens today with stellar line-up
7:51 AM
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.
1958 Pakistani production The Day Shall Dawn to be screened in MAMI’s restored classics section
8:39 AM
MID-DAY (October 14, 2016)
The Day Shall Dawn, an Oscar-nominated Pakistani film, features in the movie line-up of the upcoming Mumbai Academy of Moving Arts (MAMI) Film Festival. Despite the demand for ban on all things Pakistani following the Uri attacks, the festival organisers have decided to go ahead with the screening of the classic’s restored version in their special section.
Says an insider, “This film was made long before Bangladesh was formed. It’s a global film now. We don’t see why there should be an objection to this by any politically motivated group.” The 1960 bilingual movie (Hindi and Urdu) is a semi documentary that sheds light on the quality of life in a small fishing village in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Everyone in the community dreams of just one thing — having their own boat. For Pakistan, the film was a first of its kind and had earned accolades, including a nomination in the 1960 Academy Awards.
MAMI’s spokesperson remained unavailable for comment and Kiran Rao, festival chairperson, did not respond to text messages.
Smriti Kiran, creative director of MAMI, said, “We wouldn’t want to comment on this.”
Anushka Sharma goes all out to support MAMI Film Festival in every possible way
7:49 AM
Upala KBR (DNA; June 3, 2016)
First, it was Ranveer Singh. Now, Anushka Sharma has recorded a message for the MAMI Festival in October this year. A Friend of the Festival, the actress’s message calls for entries to the Festival as well. Last year, she donated an amount to MAMI, becoming one of the first celebrities to extend support.
Apart from them, other actors have also recorded messages calling for entries in different regional languages — Riteish Deshmukh (in Marathi), Pawan Kalyan (in Telugu) and Suriya (in Tamil).
Anushka says, “MAMI has undergone a remarkable reinvention. It’s becoming a bigger and better platform for Indian filmmakers — a platform that brings the best of international talent to the city. It’s also amazing to see the all-women team helming this festival and taking it places. I’m happy that I contributed to this movement.”
Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, Mumbai Film Festival says, “As the last date for sending entries is August 10. We want to invite movies of each and every language from all corners of India (and not just Hindi films) and to get this message across every nook and cranny of our country. We are telling all filmmakers that the film festival is if for everyone so please submit your entries. The idea behind using the biggest of regional stars is to call for cinema from all the different languages as possible.”
B-Town stars have given their help generously. Smriti says, “We are just asking them for something simple — lend us your face and voice so people can sit up and take notice. Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan… A host of people helped us unconditionally.”
MAMI finds a hub for kids and young adults - Films Division
7:45 AM
Screenings and other activities will be hosted at the Films Division from this year during the October film fest
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 1, 2016)
This year, the Mumbai
Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), scheduled between October 20-27, is
moving its section for children and young adults to the newly-revamped
Films Division (FD) grounds at Peddar Road. This move comes with the
promise of more space than the Cinemax theatres, where the films under
this section were screened in the morning shows.
“We were in talks with FD even last year, but at that time the venue was under construction. FD is a beautiful space. A haven for documentary and animation filmmakers. The Mumbai International Film Festival for short films, animation and documentaries is also hosted there,“ reasons Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, MAMI, adding that with this dedicated hub, the number of films screened in the section could go up from 12 in 2015 to 20-24 in 2016.
Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, informs that they signed the MoU with Films Division on Thursday, making them collaborative parties. FD will provide the venue and infrastructure while the MAMI team will curate the films and organise the activities. “The two to three day event will not only screen films all day but also conduct workshops and master classes, promising wholesome entertainment for kids in the age group of 4-17 years, which parents constantly feel the absence of in the city,“ says Anupama.
The team is confident of pulling a large audience from schools, which ferried the children in buses, giving MAMI a series of packed shows. Kiran Rao, Chairperson of MAMI, exults, “Now our ambitious plans for this section can be realised. We believe that by exposing young minds to the rich diversity or artistic and Indie films, we go a long way towards creating a better cinema culture for our future. From this year we have FD as a dedicated venue for screenings and other film related activities in the section for children and young adults.“
“MAMI is a well known event in the festival calendar of Mumbai city. Films Division is happy to partner for the 18th edition of the festival being held between 20-27 October 2016. One of the exciting and important segment of the event - a children's cinema section aptly named “Half Ticket“ will be held at the Films Division complex. I hope the partnership with MAMI will continue in the future editions of the festival,“ says Mukesh Sharma, DG, Films Division.
“We were in talks with FD even last year, but at that time the venue was under construction. FD is a beautiful space. A haven for documentary and animation filmmakers. The Mumbai International Film Festival for short films, animation and documentaries is also hosted there,“ reasons Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, MAMI, adding that with this dedicated hub, the number of films screened in the section could go up from 12 in 2015 to 20-24 in 2016.
Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, informs that they signed the MoU with Films Division on Thursday, making them collaborative parties. FD will provide the venue and infrastructure while the MAMI team will curate the films and organise the activities. “The two to three day event will not only screen films all day but also conduct workshops and master classes, promising wholesome entertainment for kids in the age group of 4-17 years, which parents constantly feel the absence of in the city,“ says Anupama.
The team is confident of pulling a large audience from schools, which ferried the children in buses, giving MAMI a series of packed shows. Kiran Rao, Chairperson of MAMI, exults, “Now our ambitious plans for this section can be realised. We believe that by exposing young minds to the rich diversity or artistic and Indie films, we go a long way towards creating a better cinema culture for our future. From this year we have FD as a dedicated venue for screenings and other film related activities in the section for children and young adults.“
“MAMI is a well known event in the festival calendar of Mumbai city. Films Division is happy to partner for the 18th edition of the festival being held between 20-27 October 2016. One of the exciting and important segment of the event - a children's cinema section aptly named “Half Ticket“ will be held at the Films Division complex. I hope the partnership with MAMI will continue in the future editions of the festival,“ says Mukesh Sharma, DG, Films Division.
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