MAMIs 10th IFFM

10^th Edition of MAMI’S International Film Festival Mumbai

Here are the bouquets and brickbats :

• Films screened about 140 from about thirty five countries. Overall quality rating Good to Very Good. Credit goes to the creative programme director.
• Opening function, though quite simple, but sober and serene with no frills attached, was a success. After brief formal speeches, the chief Guest of eh evening ace film maker Yash Chopra was invited to lit the ceremonial lamp as inauguration jointly with the trustees and other office bearers of MAMI. A unique feature of the opening ceremony was the token recognition given to all those who have been silently working for MAMI, behind the screen as a mark of appreciation of their good work.

This was followed by the screening of opening film, veteran film maker Andrej Wajda’s classic Polish film “Katyn”. In 2006, Wajda was conferred with Lifetime Achievement award at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival.

• Press conferences lacked planning, coordination and paucity of media men.
• The Closing function (which boasts of declaration and conferment of awards, and award winning films’ names etc.) was a farce and a complete fiasco.

How? Read on ….

This year unexpectedly the organizers/sponsors changed the tradition of International Festivals viz: mode of closing function amidst applause of delegates and press/media.. This was turned into a film industry function filled with glitz and glamour, in which they preferred to put the Finale of the festival. Yes, all the International standard festivals do have a “Grand Soiree” (including Filmfare and other Indian awards extravaganzas),but that remains only a “Merry celebration” with the selected invitees and guests. This is always different than the main closing event of the festival where the participation of festival delegates and press is a pre-requisite to cover the award winning films and personalities. But this privilege was denied to the Press people at large and perhaps to all those cineists, who had registered as the delegates this year.

On the eve of closing function day, the media in-charge expressed his inability to help the media persons to get them invites for the closing function for the reason that it was directly looked after by the festival sponsors. When approached, a responsible person of the organizing team, revealed that there were two invites, one was for closing function, which was to be held at the CINEMAX auditorium at 6 p.m. and the other is for the big bash at a 5 star hotel, but it cannot be issued to the media at large for the reasons of cost.. When media said that, it was interested to cover the closing function and not the party, the closing function invite was given which specifically mentioned that at 6 p.m. as a part of MAMI fest closing function, wherein Mr Carlos Saura, the renowned Spanish film director will be felicitated and the closing function will be followed by the screening of 2007 Cannes top award winning Japanese film “The Mourning Forest”. It was silent about the other essential formalities of the closing function like “Jury report and award winning films of the festival, conferment of Global Lifetime Achievement award or other lifetime/significant contribution awards on Indian film celebrities at this function viz; Carlos Saura, Dharmendra, Gulzar, Rishi Kapoor. And Hitendra Ghosh.And the entry to the function or the closing film was only by that invitation and not by press/delegate card.

At 5-30 p.m. Mr Carlos came accompanied by the two trustees of MAMI and the function got finished after a 15 minute press conference with a handful of media persons who were present. The trustee also announced that all the further formalities of the closing function will be held at the “BASH” later in the evening, strictly on party invite card. Needless, the mention that most of the genuine but small media contributors were left out of that privilege. But a large posse of Hindi film industry persons, who were also a part of the closing film “The Mourning Forest” were headed for the bash, not the media persons / press and the registered delegates of the festival.

 Media has no problem with the BASH. But then can the formalities of the closing function not separated for those who mattered to applaud and write for this ? They don’t demand expensive “Khana Peena” with the glitterati but to cover an important festival event which is the RIGHT of all accredited press persons.

Now, for the benefit of our readers /website visitors, here are the reviews of good and the very good films of the festival :