‘All We Imagine as Light,’ ‘Anora’ to Bookend Mumbai Film Festival

As a seasoned cinephile with a heart for South Asian cinema and a penchant for global film festivals, I am eagerly anticipating the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival‘s 2024 edition. Despite the absence of title sponsor Jio and the subsequent downsizing of this year’s event, the festival’s resilience and commitment to showcasing diverse voices is admirable.

Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning film “All We Imagine as Light” is set to open the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, and Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning film “Anora” will conclude the festival.

This year’s event, which was previously sponsored by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio, will be a shortened version running from October 19th to the 24th. Instead of Jio, this year’s festival is being spearheaded by well-known archivist and filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

2021 sees us going through a transitional phase, as MAMI is without a main sponsor this year. Although we’ve faced difficulties due to this change, we’re thrilled to share that we’ve prepared a captivating lineup for the festival.

Given the current situation, it’s crucial that our supporters are with us. We humbly request your tolerance and compassion as we present a scaled-down yet equally significant version this time. Due to necessary adjustments, we’ve had to reduce the number of locations and platforms where our work will be shown in 20XX.

This year’s film selection offers over 110 movies from more than 45 different nations, representing over 50 languages and various genres. The festival maintains its status as a major player in South Asian cinema, with an enlarged South Asia Competition category that includes 11 feature films.

Titles of competitions feature: “Agent of Happiness,” a Sundance-honored film by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó; “Girls Will Be Girls,” a Sundance winner directed by Shuchi Talati; “Kiss Wagon,” the Rotterdam champion movie by Midhun Murali; “Little Jaffna,” debuting at Venice, created by Lawrence Valin; “Nocturnes,” a Sundance victor co-directed by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan; “Pooja, Sir” bowing at Venice, directed by Deepak Rauniyar; the world debut of Amit Dutta’s “Rhythm of a Flower (Phool Ka Chand)”; Cannes-honored film “Santosh,” created by Sandhya Suri; “Shambhala” by Min Bahadur Bham, and “The Fable,” both premiering at the Berlinale; lastly, Rima Das’ Busan entry titled “Village Rockstars 2.

As a passionate cinephile, I eagerly anticipate immersing myself in the vibrant voices of South Asia through the Focus South Asia section. Highlights include “A Fly on the Wall,” directed by Nilesh Maniyar and Shonali Bose, which was featured at Busan; Konstantin Bojanov’s award-winning “The Shameless” from Cannes; Maisam Ali’s Cannes selection, “In Retreat”; and the world debut of Vipin Radhakrishnan’s “Angammal.” For short film aficionados, there are exciting offerings such as Nitin Baid’s “Blind Spot” (Chashma), Suman Sen’s “Cry Me a River,” and Avinash Arun Dhaware’s “Monsoon Walk.

The Gala Premieres section brings together films where celebrated stardom meets unique directorial perspectives. Here, we find “Despatch” directed by Kanu Behl, featuring Manoj Bajpayee, alongside “Ghamasaan” by Tigmanshu Dhulia, which stars Arshad Warsi and Pratik Gandhi. Additionally, Sonal Dabral’s “Go Noni Go” boasts Dimple Kapadia, while Suman Ghosh’s “Puratawn” features the legendary Sharmila Tagore. Completing this diverse lineup is the multi-director anthology “My Melbourne,” led by Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, Onir, and Das.

The World Cinema segment showcases some of the best films from international film festivals in Mumbai, featuring notable titles like Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door,” Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” and Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance.

2024-10-10 16:18

‘All We Imagine as Light,’ ‘Anora’ to Bookend Mumbai Film Festival

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