Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival announced its line-up for 2023, with over 250 films spread over 10 days from October 27 to November 5. The curation boasts over 40 World Premieres, 45 Asia Premieres, and 70+ South Asia Premieres, with a record-breaking number of 1000+ submissions for the South Asia programme.
9 october 2023
The festival promises to spotlight contemporary films and new cinematic voices from South Asia. The main competition at the festival this year is the South Asia Competition. It aligns with the festival’s new vision to become a hub for South Asian and South Asian Diaspora cinema and talent.
This competitive section aims to showcase breakthrough contemporary South Asian films. The 14 films are from debutant and second-time filmmakers from across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, as well as diaspora filmmakers from the UK and Germany.
South Asian films are also part of a non-competition section that has 46 films (22 features + 24 non-features) that showcase the diversity of the region and offer a glimpse into the rich tapestry of South Asia. It includes works from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal, as well as diaspora perspectives from Australia, Germany, the USA, the UK, Poland, and Spain.
The press conference, hosted at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai, witnessed the festival’s illustrious board members. Anupama Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Rana Daggubati, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vikramaditya Motwane, Zoya Akhtar, Rohan Sippy, and Ajay Bijli unveil the meticulously curated line-up of the best in global and South Asian cinema.
Artistic Director, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Deepti DCunha, said, “We are very proud that we have managed to achieve such a diverse curation in our South Asia section within the first year of us expanding our vision to be a festival that is focused on building an ecosystem for new cinematic voices from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora. This commitment extends beyond film screenings, aiming to facilitate the exchange of ideas, collaborations, and business opportunities while bringing the best of world cinema to Mumbai.”
The World Cinema section of the festival will showcase more than 90 titles from over 35 countries. The selection comprises some of the most talked-about films from this year’s festival circuit; such as Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, Bradley Cooper’s Oscar-tipped Maestro, Beyond Utopia by Madeleine Gavin that won the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.
Additional titles include The Daughters of Fire by Pedro Costa, Monster by Hirokazu Kore-eda, In Our Day by Hong Sang-soo, Strange Way of Life by Pedro Almodóvar, The Old Oak by Ken Loach, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki and La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher.
Anu Rangchar, Head of International Programming, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, added, “We have curated some of the most discerning international titles for the festival audience. Besides the buzzworthy titles, there are several other titles that have ended up becoming Academy Award nominees from their respective countries. These titles have the innate potential to only get bigger with time. Our curation also has some hidden gems that one wouldn’t be able to otherwise watch in India, as the probability of them independently releasing here is fairly low. There’s something for everyone, and we have curated the section keeping our festival audience in mind, who love to be surprised by the narratives of these films.”
Speaking at the press conference, Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, Jio MAMI, said, “with every new edition of the festival, we hope to create a larger impact for all our stakeholders, from filmmakers to audiences. Our commitment to cinema and filmmakers remains at the heart of all that we stand for at the festival, and we hope to emerge as a melting pot of talent from across the world while spotlighting and creating more opportunities for South Asian films and filmmakers.”
Maitreyee Dasgupta, Co-Director, Jio MAMI, added, “We are looking forward to hosting the 10-day-long festival that offers a platform for established and emerging filmmakers to be a part of an ecosystem that encourages co-creation and business opportunities. Through the various programmes and competitions, the festival strives to be a destination where filmmakers and audiences feel empowered, heard, and experience the joy of cinema, its impact, and new ideas.”
Building further excitement and anticipation for the upcoming festival that promises to showcase gems by established and emerging new talents; the festival announced the following key categories (competition & non-competition):
South Asia Competition: Through this competitive section, the festival showcases 14 breakthrough contemporary South Asian films in diverse languages.
Highlights: Mithya by Sumant Bhat, Barir Naam Shahana (A House Named Shahana) by Leesa Gazi, The Red Suitcase by Fidel Devkota
Focus South Asia (Non-Competition): This section features films from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora that highlight and celebrate the diversity of the region. Featuring a potpourri of lengths, languages, storytelling methods, and forms, the films in this section spotlight talent from South Asia and the South Asian diaspora and underline the wealth of narratives that make up the South Asian experience. It includes 46 films across lengths
Highlights: All India Rank by Varun Grover, Pushtaini by Vinod Rawat, Stolen by Karan Tejpal, Mai by Milin Dhamade
Icons South Asia: This section features iconic films by prominent South Asian talent.
Highlights: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam by Anand Patwardhan, Indi(r)a’s Emergency by Vikramaditya Motwane, Paradise by Prasanna Vithanage, Something Like an Autobiography by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Gala Premier South Asia: This section features a selection of the most ambitious Indian films of the year. It showcases established talent and distinct directorial voices from across the country.
Highlights: Kennedy by Anurag Kashyap, Sharmajee ki Beti by Tahira Kashyap, Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa by Rajat Kapoor
Marathi Talkies: Launched in 2016, the section showcases the best of contemporary Marathi cinema. Marathi Talkies is a platform for Jio MAMI to showcase a larger selection of contemporary voices from its home region (Maharashtra). This year the section is curated by Sachin Chatte.
Highlights: Aatmapamphlet (Auto-bio Pamphlet) by Ashish Bende, Ved by Riteish Deshmukh, Dhekun (Bedbug) by Kshitij Joshi, Vaalvi by Paresh Mokashi
Dimensions Mumbai: Dimensions Mumbai was first introduced to Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in 2009 by Ms Jaya Bachchan, and has been one of the most sought-after sections at the festival. Many winning filmmakers at Dimensions Mumbai have gone on to direct feature films and web series.
Highlights: Should I Kill Myself, Or Have A Cup Of Coffee? By Vidar Joshi, Halfway by Kumar Chheda, City of Mirage by Anjani Chadha, Nivedita Rani
World Cinema: This iconic section features critically acclaimed cinema from around the world created within the calendar year of the festival.
Highlights: Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, The Daughters of Fire by Pedro Costa, Monster by Hirokazu Kore-eda, In Our Day by Hong Sang-soo, Strange Way of Life by Pedro Almodóvar, The Old Oak by Ken Loach, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher, The Beast by Bertrand Bonello, Maestro by Bradley Cooper.
After Dark: Curated by BIFAN’s Jongsuk Thomas Nam, the section showcases the most thrilling features from across the world.
Highlights: Oldboy (Restored) by Park Chan-wook, Late Night with the Devil by Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes, Dream Scenario by Kristoffer Borgli, Night of the Bride by Virat Pal
Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films: Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films acknowledges the growing importance of the short film format. It aims to celebrate original short films and help aspiring young filmmakers get an opportunity to showcase their work on the large screen. The Perfect Ten competition, which is a part of the Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films, is open to films under 10 minutes made by Indian filmmakers.
Highlights: Badminton by Dibakar Banerjee, Next, Please by Rishav Kapoor, Themb (The Drop) by Shrirang Phatak
Restored Classics: The festival is deeply committed to honouring and preserving cinematic legacy. This section showcases restored classic films from India and around the world.
Highlights: Bugis Street by Yonfan, Chocolat by Claire Denis, Millennium Mambo by Hou Hsiao-Hsien
MAMI Tribute: This section pays homage to individuals who have contributed deeply to cinema by lending their expertise to the advancement of the art form.
Retrospective: Jio MAMI pays homage to great film personalities for their lifetime achievements through the Retrospective section. It brings works from international film history back to the big screen.
Recap: The section revisits our selection from 2020 and 2022.
Highlights: The Rapist by Aparna Sen, Dostojee by Prasun Chatterjee, A Night of Knowing Nothing by Payal Kapadia
Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will take place from Friday, October 27 to Sunday, November 5, 2023, in Mumbai, India.
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