THE GOLDEN CURTAIN OPENS AT JIO MAMI 19th MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL WITH STAR AT THE ICONIC LIBERTY CINEMA

THE GOLDEN CURTAIN OPENS AT JIO MAMI 19th MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL WITH STAR AT THE ICONIC LIBERTY CINEMA

THE GOLDEN CURTAIN OPENS AT JIO MAMI 19th MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL WITH STAR AT THE ICONIC LIBERTY CINEMA

Sharmila Tagore receives Excellence in Cinema Award India from Aamir Khan and Nita Ambani

​Sharmila Tagore receives Excellence in Cinema Award India from Aamir Khan and Nita Ambani

Amruta Devendra Fadnavis, CoChairperson Mrs.Nita Mukesh Ambani along with Festival Chairperson Kiran Rao,  Festival Director Anupama Chopra among eminent Bollywood personalities opened the festival.

Anurag Kashyaps film Mukkabaaz opened the festival

Sharmila Tagore receives the ‘Excellence in Cinema India Award’

The weeklong festival is welcoming over 220 films from 45 countries including features, documentaries and short films.

The 19th edition of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star had a grand opening ceremony at the iconic Liberty Cinema as world-renowned filmmakers from all over the world, talent and Bollywood stars walked the red carpet to celebrate the city’s very own film festival. The Liberty Cinema is a heritage site and a noted Art Deco building, representing a long-standing association with art, literature, theatre and music.

Nita Ambani

Bollywood came in full support at the opening ceremony Red Carpet which was attended by Aamir Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Kalki Koechlin, Anupam Kher, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Nandita Das, Shahana Goswami, Tannishtha Chatterjee,  Ayan Mukerji, Adar Poonawalla, Tara Sharma to name a few.

Sharmila Tagore, Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan

Festival Chairperson, Kiran Rao, hosted the event. Also, present were Co-Chairperson Nita Ambani, Festival Director Anupama Chopra, and other Board of Directors including Anurag Kashyap, Riteish Deshmukh, Kaustubh Dhavse and Siddharth Roy Kapur

Kangana Ranaut

Present amongst the esteemed jury members were Head of International Jury – Filmmaker John Madden, Actor Celina Jade, Actor – Filmmaker Konkona Sensharma, Filmmaker Cao Baoping, Rajendra Roy, Filmmaker Talya Lavie, Actress Tillotama Shome, Actor Dulquer Salmaan, Filmmaker Ruchika Oberoi and Filmmaker Nitya Mehra.

Anupam Kher

Artistic Director TIFF Cameron Bailey graced the red carpet along with other eminent personalities like Grainne Humphreys, Festival Director Dublin International Film Festival and Bina Paul.

 Sridevi

Jio MAMI with Star, Festival Chairperson, Kiran Rao said, At this 19th edition of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star, we are delighted to bring to Mumbai audiences a truly diverse, stellar line-up of films, along with conversations and interactions that will give festival-goers an experience we hope they will remember. We look forward to sharing a week of contemporary, cutting edge cinema, as well as classic, iconic movies with the city of Mumbai for whom this festival was created.”

Hosts for the evening Kunal Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari

Mrs. Nita Mukesh Ambani, Festival Co-Chairperson said, “Welcome to Jio MAMI’s 19th Mumbai Film Festival! Cinema has become our lifeline in many ways and the ‘maximum city’ celebrates it with colour and character in abundant measure. At a time when movie-making and movie-viewing are fast expanding into the digital landscape, we are happy to introduce the Jio MAMI Reliance Foundation Award for Excellence in Digital Content. I hope this year’s festival will be yet another entertaining and enlightening feast for movie lovers and filmmakers alike. I wish everyone at this landmark event meaningful exchanges and happy viewing.”

Uday Shankar, Chairman and CEO, Star India said, “MAMI is a veritable treat for films aficionados of Mumbai. This festival offering the very best of Indian and world cinema showcases stories that inspire a billion imaginations. On the fourth year of an immensely fulfilling Star MAMI partnership we look forward to a very successful edition of the Mumbai Film Festival.”

Jio MAMI with Star, Festival Director, Anupama Chopra said, “It is a privilege to be here at the grand Liberty cinema, a quintessential Mumbai Icon. Liberty Cinema is one of Mumbai’s most beautiful art deco theatres and we couldn’t have asked for a better venue to open this festival. It’s so rewarding to experience the power of cinema to create a shared experience and make a connection with film lovers here.”

-John Madden, Head of Jury, International Competition

John Madden, Head of Jury, International Competition said, “I am very glad to be part of the festival. I feel humbled to be working with my fellow jurists. On that note, I hope we all enjoy the films over next few days.”

 Kabir Khan and Nandita Das

Kabir Khan, Head of Jury, Dimensions Mumbai said, “I am very excited to be judging this section. Digital space will dominate in no time soon and what better platform than this for short films.”

Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao, Head of Jury, Royal Stag Large Short Films said, “I feel extremely lucky to be a part of such an amazing category. More power to good cinema. Thank You MAMI.”                                                       

Alankrita Srivastava, Head of Jury, Oxfam Gender Equality Award said, “ The Oxfam Award for Gender Equality will enforce more and more female storytellers to be part of the industry, I am extremely happy to be a part of MAMI.”

Anurag Kashyap

Film lovers got a grand treat with Anurag Kashyap’s new film Mukkabaaz that opened the festival. Speaking on the occasion Director Anurag Kashyap said, “Thank you MAMI for choosing our film for the opening. Tonight, we have our film’s Asian Premiere. This is the first time my film has got a clean swing before its release which is very unlikely. I am excited. My team and I are glad that we can bring it to you on this occasion.

The Award for Excellence in Cinema – India’ was presented to the legendary actress Sharmila Tagore by Aamir Khan and Nita Ambani.  On receiving the Award Sharmila Tagore said, “It feels very good. It is a peer group that has given me this award, so I feel honoured.”

In the upcoming days, the 19th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star will offer a large number of films and related events.

The festival now opens at different venues across the city. Apart from screening exceptional films, the festival has many exciting events in store. Over 220 films, 49 countries, 51 languages including features, documentaries, short films to be screened at the festival.

Jio MAMI Film Festival

Mumbai – the financial capital of India is also the epicentre of the Indian film industry. The city plays such a major role in production and dissemination of Indian films and television programs that it is widely known by its acronym ‘Bollywood’. In 1997, a group of film industry stalwarts headed by late Hrishikesh Mukherjee founded the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) as a not-for- profit Trust. Their main objective was to organise an annual International Film Festival which the film industry and the country could be proud of. MAMI has been organising the festival for the last 16 years and aims to foster a climate of good cinema. MAMI engages people from all walks of life across the city and country that enjoy and love good cinema. It is

Mumbai’s only film festival that is entirely created and run by film professionals and a group of members from corporate India. Appreciation of good cinema, stripped off all the limiting labels of art and commercial, can only come about through exposure to the best of films the world has to offer. The Festival is the first step in that direction.

 

In their Mission Statement in 1997, the MAMI Board of Trustees said, “We feel it is the need of the hour to disseminate and inculcate good cinema among Indian audiences. The only way to achieve this is to celebrate cinema by hosting an International Film Festival in Mumbai, India’s film and entertainment capital. MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) is committed to start Mumbai's first independent international film festival organized by practicing film makers.”