MAMI FILM FESTIVAL 2024

MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 ( 18 Oct-24 )

 The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 kicked off its six-day celebration of global cinema, creativity, and culture in Mumbai on October 18, 2024, with a spectacular opening ceremony at the prestigious single screen theatre Regal Cinema.

 Interim Festival Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Artistic Director Deepti DCunha declared the festival open. Esteemed members of the film fraternity, festival partners, and dignitaries were in attendance, making the event a true celebration of global talent.

As part of the festivities, MAMI honoured the legendary Shabana Azmi with the Excellence in Cinema Award, recognizing her remarkable contribution to Indian cinema. And on completion of 50 years in films highlighting her enduring legacy. The red carpet was graced by prominent figures such as Waheeda Rehman, Rana Daggubati, Siddharth Roy Kapoor, Vikramaditya Motwane, and many more The Lifetime Achievement Award to Shabana Azmi was handed over by another acting legend Waheed Rehman  with standing ovation.

   Opening film was with India’s Internationally acclaimed and 2024 Grand Prix Award winner at Cannes ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT directed by  India’s Payal Kapadia who presented the film. The film was highly appreciated by the audience. Following the screening, a Q&A session was held with the film’s director, Payal Kapadia, and critic Anupama Chopra.

Closing film was the Cannes top award winner of 2024 PALME D’OR

ANORA which  was highly entertaining and sleekly directed by Sean Baker who also wrote and produced  and edited it. After a spectacular opening and an overwhelming response from audiences, filmmakers, and the industry, the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival concluded with a closing ceremony attended by Shabana Azmi, Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chaddha, Ali Fazal. Kabir Khan and other notable figures from the film community, celebrating achievements across several key categories.

 Highlight data of the fest

. This year’s festival showcased an impressive lineup of over 110 films from 45+ countries in 50+ languages, solidifying its reputation as one of the most influential film festivals in South Asia. Spanning two venues, PVR INOX and Regal Cinema, the festival featured 20 world premieres, 25+ Asia premieres, and 35+ South Asia premieres, bringing a wide spectrum of cinematic storytelling to the forefront.

AWARD WINNERS

The South Asia Competition jury, , awarded the Golden Gateway Award to Rhythm of a Flower (Phool Ka Chand) by Amit Dutta and Silver Gateway Award to Nocturnes by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan.  The Special Jury Prize was presented to The Fable by Raam Reddy followed by a Special Mention to Girls Will Be Girls by Shuchi Talati.

The NETPAC Jury, presented the NETPAC Special Mention to film Shambala by Min Bahadur Bham and Agent of Happiness by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó. The NETPAC Award was presented to Girls Will Be Girls by Shuchi Talati.

The Dimensions Mumbai jury , presented the Gold Award to BMCLD by Shreela Agarwal and Silver Award to A Tale of Two Cities by Sameeha Sabnis and I Was Painted Red by Bhagyesh Rajeshirke was given.

The Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films Jury, featuring Aditi Rao Hydari, Hansal Mehta, and Rajshri Deshpande, recognised Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films, Best Film to Ade (On A Sunday) by Theja Rio and Special Jury Prize to Coming Back to Life (Et Moi, Je Revis) by Mantra Watsa for their excellence in short filmmaking.

The Film Critics Guild Gender Sensitivity Award, presented by Monika Rawal, Rohit Khilnani, and Sanyukta Thakare, honoured Girls Will Be Girls by Shuchi Talati for challenging traditional gender stereotypes and advancing nuanced narratives.

In addition to these awards, the festival also celebrated contributions to cinema with the Best Book on Cinema Award was to The Age of Heroes: The Incredible World of Telugu Cinema by Mukesh Manjunath, for Rashid Irani Best Young Critic winner was Sarth Patel and runners-up were Saanvi Tara Dwivedi and Rushnan Jaleel. Additionally, Girls Will Be Girls by Shuchi Talati was awarded with Rashid Irani Young Critics Choice Award.