Thithi wins Jury Grand Prize at the Mumbai Film Fest 2015

Raam Reddy’s Kannada language film debut feature, Thithi wins the Jury Grand Prize in the International Competition at Mumbai Film Festival, 2015

The Kannada language film, which made its Asian premiere at MAMI, was the only Indian feature to be selected in the International Category

Mumbai, November 6, 2015: Raam Reddy’s directorial debut, Thithi wins the Jury Grand Prize at Mumbai Film Festival, 2015. The Kannada-language film, which made its Asian Premiere at Mumbai Film Festival, 2015, was the only Indian feature to be selected in the International Competition.

The film had its international première at Locarno International Film Festival in August this year and won two top awards – Pardo d’oro Cineasti Del Presente Premio Nescens”  (Golden Leopard, Filmmakers of the Present Competition) and “Swatch First Feature Award” for the best debut feature in the festival.

Excited about the winning one of the top awards at this year’s MAMI, Raam says, “Thithi’s journey so far has been nothing short of magical, and premiere at MAMI has continued this dream-come-true. It was already such an immense honour to be included in the wonderfully curated selection of the International Competition including films like Land and Shade that won the Camera d’Or at Cannes and Ixcanul Volcano than won in Berlin. It was truly a selection of some of the strongest films from around the world this year, so winning an award in this category is really overwhelming. In addition to the award, it was also so encouraging to see how Thithi seemed to be universally enjoyed as theatrical experience by the audiences in MAMI, with so much more laughter in the theatre that my team and I ever expected.” 

- Read the complete news at: http://www.filmytown.com/thithi-wins-jury-grand-prize-mumbai-film-fest/#sthash.8Mjpd2jW.dpuf

‘Women In Films’ panel discussion at Mumbail Film Fest

Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival hosts the ‘Women In Film’ panel discussion with eminent women from the world of cinema

MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 3, 2015:

On Tuesday, November 3rd, Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival with Star India brought together distinguished women from Indian and international cinema. Shabana Azmi, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut, Kiran Rao, Anupama Chopra and American filmmaker Ava DuVernay took part in a conversation on Women in Film that was powered by Lifebuoy and their initiative ‘Help a Child Reach 5′ that examined the position of women in film today.

The session commenced with the screening of a moving film about Lifebuoy’s ‘Help a Child Reach 5’ initiative. Made by acclaimed director Anand Gandhi, the film which deals with the issue of infant mortality left the audience visibly touched. The discussion was then kicked off by Anuvab Pal who moderated the conversation and touched upon important topics ranging from the relation between gender and characters to the wage disparity that still remains prevalent across many industries.

In response to a question, Kangana Ranaut expressed, “I feel it’s not about female or male centric characters, it is about a character that has lived and been loved.”

Vidya Balan shares her views stating that, “I have seen growth and I am happy with it. You have to look at the journey and not the destination.”

Talking about the portrayal of women in films, actor Shabana Azmi said, “It has been left to parallel cinema to portray women with any kind of complexity”.

Ava DuVernay spoke about the issues women face in Hollywood and said, “There is a definite kind of film a woman is allowed to make”. She then added, “because of economics women are not given the budget or trust to make films apart from romantic comedy.”

Kiran Rao also expressed that “women must stand up and know their worth and their value”

The panel was preceded by a brunch that celebrated women in film. Attended by women at the top of their game in media and film, the occasion was made even more special by Sula Vineyards which did a tasting of their new sparkling wine- Brut Tropicale.

- Read the full news and see more at: http://www.filmytown.com/women-in-film-panel-discussion-mumbail-film-fest/#sthash.oYlYffSl.dpuf

Nita Ambani announced as the Co-Chair for the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

with STAR India 

Announces its Stellar Program Line-Up

Festival will have several ‘firsts’ - New sections, Special Screenings and Workshops 

Over 190 films to be screened in Feature-Documentary-Short Film Categories 

 

17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival - Board of Trustees

 Members of the Board of Trustees Unveiled the New Jio MAMI Trophy Created by a Designer whose jewellery is worn by the most elegant and beautiful women around the World - Nirav Modi

 

Mumbai, October 7th, 2015 - With less than a month to go for the 17th edition of India’s biggest film festival, the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in association with the STAR Network, announced its stellar program line-up. The line-up included new programming sections being introduced this year, special screenings and events.  The 17th edition of the festival will take place from October 29th to November 5th in Mumbai. The festival's presenting sponsor is Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) -- and STAR India is the Associate Sponsor Partner. 

Mrs Nita M. Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Reliance Foundation was announced as Co-Chair, Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). 

The announcement was made in the presence of members of the Board of Trustees that include Kiran Rao, Chairperson – MAMI, Anupama Chopra - Festival Director, Filmmakers Dibakar Banerjee and Vishal Bhardwaj, Mr. Ajay Bijli, Chairman and MD, PVR Ltd, Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, Disney India, Mr. Manish Mundra, Founder and CEO, Drishyam Films and Gayatri Yadav, ‎Executive Vice President Marketing & Communications, STAR India

We are thrilled to announce that Jio MAMI 2015 will present two Excellence in Cinema awards – one to an international personality and one to an Indian. I’m also kicked to announce that our international Excellence in Cinema award will be given to the iconic Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai who has created landmark films and won laurels around the globe including two Palme D’Or nominations. Our Indian Excellence in Cinema award will be given to two legendary screenwriters who changed the course of Indian cinema and created several classics – they are none other than Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. We are also introducing a special section called ‘Half Ticket’ for kids, which will have an exciting slate of children films from around the world.”- Kiran Rao, Chairperson, 17th Jio MAMI  Mumbai Film Festival in association with Star India. 

Mrs Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation & Co-Chair, MAMI Board of Trustees, said, “I am honoured with the appointment and the faith that the MAMI Board of Trustees has reposed in me. I thank them for inviting me to be a part of this movement that will showcase the best of Indian and world cinema.”

Mrs Ambani further added, “Jio MAMI deserves to be recognized as one of the best film festivals in the world. We are convinced that Jio will have a lot to do with films, and films will have a lot to do with Jio.” 

Uday Shankar, CEO, STAR India said, “Star India believes in content that inspires a billion imaginations and moves the nation forward and MAMI is all about celebrating the joy of cinema. 

By supporting this festival we want to do our bit to fuel imagination that we all know has the power to change the world.”

 

Announcing the stellar programme line-up for the festival, Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival said,” We are here because of the generosity of many people.  Foremost among them is Jio and our associate sponsor – STAR India. And I also want to thank our third partner – the Government of Maharashtra. Our aim is to create a movie-soaked week in which you can see the best of Indian and international cinema. We want to foster a cultural exchange, enable conversations and shape a cinematic sensibility.” 

Leading filmmaker, Mr. Dibakar Banerjee, said ”  I really wish Jio MAMI a great success this year as it is a cultural icon of the city. It aims to be the gateway to Indian cinema. This year, the festival received an unprecedented 248 feature film submissions in 29 languages, including Pashto, Wanchu and Jaunsari. The selection of Indian films includes 14 World Premieres, and 17 India Premieres. Audiences at Jio MAMI will get a chance to watch 31 Indian films that have never been shown before in India. 13 films are competing for the best film award in the India gold section. There are 15 fiction features and 5 documentaries in the India story section.”

Announcing a new section, After Dark at the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Ms. Niharika Bijli, Director, PVR Pictures said “The journey for MAMI, the Mumbai Film Festival and the multiplexes started back in 1997 and now in its seventeenth year, PVR Cinemas will not only encourage the homebred cinemas, but will also provide the best in world cinema. All this have been possible with PVR’s association with MAMI from past many years and have been very successful. Genre films are a mainstay in world cinema, and, “After Dark” is one of the sections of the festival. It will bring a fantastic genre films to Mumbai and these are horror, thriller, science fiction curated by Jongsuk Thomas Nam, who is the artistic director of one of Asia’s biggest genre film fests PIFF in South Korea. We have six films in this section, which is opening with Ludo, made by Qaushiq Mukherjee.” 

“I am thankful to Anu and Kiran who literally saved the festival. As Anu said, Jio MAMI is an inclusive movie feast as everyone looks forward to it.  Our international tribute is to the great French director Agnes Varda, who was given the honorary Palme d’Or this year.  Varda, who directed her first film in 1955, is also known as The Grandmother of the New Wave. Our Indian tribute is to Chetan Anand who celebrates his 100th birth anniversary this year. We think of Chetan Anand as the man who made the great war film Haqeeqat. But his contribution to Hindi cinema goes far beyond that.” said leading filmmaker, Mr. Vishal Bhardwaj. 

Announcing a very special event being organized for the first time at the Festival, Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, Disney India, said, “Anu and Kiran have done an incredible job driving the festival. They have given Bombay the festival they deserve. The grand finale this year at Jio MAMI is the MAMI Movie Mela– a one-day celebration of cinema.  On October 31st, when you walk into Mehboob Studio, you will enter a different world – a world of movie characters, movie merchandising, movie books, dvds and above all, movie conversations. ” 

Smriti Kiran, Creative Director of the festival said:” This festival is the hardest thing I have done but when I meet someone who says that MAMI changed their life, all the blood and sweat makes sense. Our vision is to make sure that Jio MAMI is an exemplary experience for all its stakeholders from delegates to filmmakers to sponsors to studios to young talent, guests and continues to alter lives the way it has.”

Members of the Board of Trustees unveiled the Festival’s new trophy that has been created by celebrated jewellery designer Nirav Modi.

"At NIRAV MODI, we are committed to the pursuit of excellence that transcends time and are excited about this collaboration with MAMI. I find a sense of harmony in movement,  the flow of a story, and the images which make a film. The award represents an ode to movie-makers that are able to capture moments and emotions and immortalize them in film," said Mr. Nirav Modi, Founder, Nirav Modi.

Starting May 15th when the call for entries were announced, the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival received an unprecedented number of entries for the movies this time. The jury members selected the best films and have taken a decision to screen nearly 190 films in feature/documentary/short films categories. 

WHAT’S NEW AT THE 17TH JIO MAMI MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL! THE INDIA STORY

India is a cauldron of diversity. Indian Feature films reflect that and every region within India has a specific film culture. This section brings forth the cinematic vibrance of the country. Traversing through various languages and forms in India, the films in this section will highlight talent from different regions. The films programmed will be a journey into the heart of India. 

HALF TICKET

Half Ticket is being introduced at the festival for the first time as a treat for the children of Mumbai. The most outstanding and imaginative live action, animation and documentary features and shorts from across the world will compete for children's Jury awards. Children will also learn filmmaking from renowned directors and writers at a special interactive session at the festival.

The aim of this section is to showcase and award ground breaking work produced for young audiences aged 6 to 16, in the hope that exposure to high quality and diverse films from across the globe will help develop a finer sensibility for all kinds of cinema and create future audiences. 

AFTER DARK

Jio MAMI is delighted to announce a fantastic film section for the first time in the history of film festivals in India. The Fantastic film genre is an evolving piece across the world and enjoys a cult following in keeping with the tonality and texture of these films. The films that push the envelope, oscillate between the unbelievable and the absurd, fantastic cinema is about all things extreme that stretch the your imagination. We will curate and program 7 films in this section that will be an introduction to the Indian audience to this kind of cinema. 

YOUNG CRITICS LAB

A lab for aspiring film writers and critics. Jio MAMI Mumbai film festival’s Young Critics lab is an attempt to hone and mentor future film journalists of the country. Two day workshops over 3 months running up to the festivals will be conducted that cover colleges all across Mumbai. These workshops with chosen journalism students from Mumbai will be mentored by Meenakshi Shedde this year. Meenakshi will select 20 students for the final workshop. This final workshop will be conducted by a renowned film critic and writer Peter Bradshaw. The students will then write for the length of the festival and the best out of the lot will win the critics award at the festival. 

These workshops aim to create a breed of writers and critics that are shaped by the rich experiences and knowledge of the most credible and successful personalities in the field. The idea is also to create a pool that serves as a hiring ground for publications around the country.    

MUMBAI FILM MART 

On Friday, October 30th, the festival will host a ‘Mumbai Film Mart’ which is a unique space created to bridge the gap between content creators and content platforms. Good content is crippled and stays unknown without dissemination and distribution. The gap between filmmaking and distribution is one that is screaming to be bridged. But as content has diversified so have the platforms. In this one day market, the festival programmers will curate 25 complete Indian projects. It trains the makers of the content to design 5 minute pitches that need to be made which could help sell their films better. And it brings content platforms from studios, distributors, VOD hubs, airlines, digital destinations, television channels, production houses, regional channels under one roof to hear these pitches and bid for the films. 

 MOVIE MELA

And now for the grand finale – this year, Jio MAMI introduces The Jio MAMI Movie Mela – a one-day celebration of cinema.  On October 31st, when you walk into Mehboob Studio, you will enter a different world – a world of movie characters, movie merchandising, movie books, DVDs and above all, movie conversations.  We will have some our leading directors and actors at Mehboob Studios talking about their work and life. Rishi Kapoor will do a masterclass. Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi will talk about creating blockbusters. Alia Bhatt will be there.  So will Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Ayushmann Khuranna and many more exciting names.  Jio MAMI’s new media partners The Viral Fever (TVF) will give you a little glimpse into what to expect.

YOUNG ADULT WORKSHOP  

On Monday, November 2nd and Tuesday, November 3rd, a ‘Young Adult Workshop’ will take place under the able guidance of leading filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar and Avinash Arun. The workshop aims at imparting knowledge on the nuances of direction, editing and production of films.  This section will be a part of the Children’s where young children will be mentored.

 

OTHER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT WERE MADE TODAY:

• Hansal Mehta’s ‘Aligarh’ featuring Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao will be the opening film
• Ava DuVernay,  Academy Award Nominated Director for ‘Selma’ will be the head of the international jury
• Internationally renowned film critic from The Guardian, ‘Peter Bradshaw’ will be conducting a two-day workshop for young critics
• Restored version of  ‘Apu Trilogy’ by Satyajit Ray will be screened as part of the “Restored Classics” section at the festival 
• In the special Tribute (Indian) category, films of renowned producer/director Chetan Anand will be showcased 

Along with Co-Chairs, Mrs Nita Mukesh Ambani and Kiran Rao and Festival Director Anupama Chopra, the members of the new Board of Trustees of MAMI are Filmmakers Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar, Vishal Bharadwaj, Vikramaditya Motwane, Dibakar Banerjee, Actors Riteish Deshmukh and Deepika Padukone, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman & MD, The Mahindra Group, Mr. Ajay Bijli, Chairman and MD, PVR Ltd, Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD, Disney and Mr. Manish Mundra, Founder and CEO, Drishyam Films. These eminent personalities, outstanding achievers in their respective fields, are bringing together their expertise and experience to give Mumbai and India a bigger, better and even more exciting 17th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

The 17th Jio MAMI’s Mumbai Film Festival will be held in Mumbai from October 29th to November 5th 2015. The film screenings will take place at PVR Juhu, PVR Citi Mall, Andheri, PVR LP, Phoenix Mills, PVR Ghatkopar and Regal-Colaba. To attend the festival, viewers can register online athttp://in.bookmyshow.com/mami/ or visit registration counters at the festival venues listed above.

JIO MAMI VISION 2015 

The Mumbai Film Festival is an inclusive movie feast. We showcase the latest cutting-edge, independent cinema - art house fare alongside genre movies from Bollywood and Hollywood and cult international movies. We offer the best of world cinema to the people of Mumbai and we offer the best of Indian cinema to the world. The festival is run by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image popularly known as MAMI. This is a space where we revel in the sheer pleasure of cinema, the joy it gives us and how much it enhances our lives. The goal is to nurture and ignite a passion for movies. We want MAMI to be shorthand for excellence in cinema. 

 

ABOUT JIO MAMI 

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 programmes 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 who 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."

For more information on MAMI and the upcoming 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival scheduled to be held from 29th October- 5th November 2015, do visit our MAMI Website, Twitter handle, Facebook Page, Instagram and YouTube as follows: 

 Website: www.mumbaifilmfestival.com 

#MAMI2015 

Twitter:/mumbaifilmfest 

Facebook: /mumbaifilmfestival 

Instagram: /mumbaifilmfestival 

YouTube: Mumbai Film Festival 

Hansal Mehta’s ‘Aligarh’ selected to open the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

Set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh from which the film takes its name, ‘Aligarh’ is the story of a professor (Manoj Bajpayee) fired for his sexuality and a young journalist (Rajkummar Rao) who tells his story to the world. Based on true events, the film follows Dr. S R Siras, a professor at the Aligarh Muslim University who, when discovered to be homosexual, was fired from his position.  The film depicts the unlikely friendship between Dr. Siras and a reporter investigating his first big story, a relationship that will change them both forever.

 Aligarh has been selected to screen at the 20th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and the 59th BFI London Film Festival, this October. This will mark the first time in almost two decades that a Hindi film will open the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

- Read the full story at: http://www.filmytown.com/hansal-mehtas-aligarh-open-mumbai-film-fest/#sthash.ma9Rdl59.dpuf

MAMI TROPHY RISES LIKE A PHEONIX FROM THE ASHES AND TAKES ON A NEW FORM

DESIGNED BY VARUNA D JANI THE MAMI TROPHY RISES LIKE A PHEONIX FROM THE ASHES AND TAKES ON A NEW FORM

Mumbai, October 2014:The 16th edition of the Mumbai film festival organized by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) will have a sparkling touch this year. The renowned jewellery designer and adornologist Varuna D Jani has graciously volunteered to design and craft the 15 coveted award trophies for the festival, to be held from 14-21 October 2014 at PVR Cinemas in Andheri, Cinemax,Versova and Chandan Cinemas in Juhu. 

MAMI trophies are sought-after awards and are treasured for a lifetime as they depict the artist’s contribution to Indian cinema. Inspired by this Varuna has created exquisite trophies distinguished by her craftsmanship which is unique and contemporary. This is the first time that a jewellery designer has designed the award for the festival.

The trophy resonates the inherent attributes of the festival and its symbolic mascot the phoenix. The Mumbai Film festival has gained a position over the years is at the pinnacle of recognition, status and popularity, and this year’s trophy represents that in its design and intent.  The trophy plaque is crystal with a gold and silver plated Phoenix (the emblem of MAMI) which is an enduring allegorical symbol, symbolizing rebirth, renewal or uniqueness. At the threshold of the trophy is the designer’s logo with two real diamond drops placed on the tips of the V wing on each side completing the symmetry of the design.

Says,ace jewellery designer and adornologist, Varuna D Jani “It is an honour and a privilege to have received this opportunity to design this prestigious trophy for MAMI. I was very excited and inspired to create and design the trophy. I hope I have imbibed in it the pride and the prestige that is associated with this magnificent festival.”

Mr Srinivassan Narayan, Festival Director, Mumbai Film Festival said, “We thank Varuna D Jani for her support towards the Mumbai Film festival. That a designer of her calibre has agreed to design our award trophies is a matter of pride for us. The final trophy is spectacular as is the design input put in by her. This year’s award recipients will be the envy of many as they will get to take the coveted trophy home.”

The trophy exudes a royal charm with crystal base and gold and silver plating. Equal emphasis has been given to the back and front of the trophy making it a piece of art. With fine engravings of letter, this year’s MAMI Trophy is going to be a sought after reward not just because of the repute and the prestige of the festival but also as a thing of beauty that the award winners would be proud to receive. After all the inspiration behind the design was that these awards (the MAMI trophy) deserve to be earned not owned. 

2nd Music Composer's Lab at 16th Mumbai Film Festival

The Mumbai Composers Lab was started by UK based composer and producer Andrew T. Mackay as part of the Mumbai Film Festival in 2013 – the 100^th Year of Indian Cinema. The Lab is presented by Bohemia Junction Limited &Abbey Road Studios in association with PRS for Music, UK supported by BMI with further support from Whistling Woods.

Last year’s Lab focused on six young up and coming Indian composers and were mentored by a creative team from both the UK and India led by leading UK based composer Ilan Eshkeri.

This year the Lab is doing things slightly differently with a series of seminars covering all the different sides of film music entitled: Film Music: The Creative and the Business. The seminars are aimed at music composers, engineers, producers and directors as well as delegates and filmmakers from the film festival.

A host of international and Indian experts in their field will lead panels moderated by Lab Director Andrew T. Mackay on 17^th October held at Whistling Woods’ The Andheri Base. (Housed in the Hard Rock Café building, Fun Republic Lane, Andheri (w)

- See more filmy and Bollywood news and pictures at: http://www.filmytown.com/  

On the 18^thOctober between 1-2pm in Screen 1 at Cinemax, Infinti Mall, Versova, Andheri (w) a further presentation and discussion will take place with Frenchman Laurent Koppitz from FAMES Project Macedonia.  This will lead on from Friday’s panel and will look at how Hollywood and Bollywood are heading to Skopje to record. How is this happening? What are the repercussions in the US and India and what are the benefits? This will be an enthralling event followed by a Q & A Session.  Several composers who have used the orchestra will also join us on stage.

Schedule for Friday 17^th October 2014

10.30-11.30 am Recording with an Orchestra; a one to one with Laurent Koppitz head of FAME’S Project. The new ‘go to’ home for film score orchestral recording in Skopje, Macedonia. Bollywood scores such as Dhoom 3 have been recorded there as well as many award-winning Hollywood & European film scores. This is a great opportunity for music directors and film company heads to see what opportunities there are to add another dimension to their film songs and film scores. 12.00-1.00pm –The Sound Engineer: A conversation with a panel of leading Sound Engineers working in the film industry in Mumbai. The panel will feature Yash Raj engineer Vijay Dayal who is one of the top engineers in the country responsible for some of the biggest hit songs and scores coming out of the film industry in India. A must for sound engineers and anyone with an interest in the recording studio, the process, the importance and the journey of the Sound Engineer. 1.30- 2.30pm – The Composer: Who is he or she and what do they really do? A chat with some of Indian cinemas established and upcoming composers. A panel of five special guests including Marathi composers Kaushal S Inamdar and Mumbai based composer John Stewart.

 3.00 – 4.00pm Where are they now? A round table chat with 2013′s lab participants Anjo John, Alokonanda Dasgupta, Achint Thakkar, Anchal Talesara, Ujjwal Agrawal. Did they really learn anything and where are they now in their careers? Five out of six return to tell us their tales. 4.30 – 5.30pm Copyright, Publishing & Collection! How it works and what it means to composers & songwriters.  Liam Donnelly, Head of International for PRS for Music, UK and leading music industry veteran Atul Churamanidiscuss the ins and outs of the often confusing subject.
The Mumbai Composers Lab is presented by Bohemia Junction Limited and Abbey Road Studios in association with PRS for Music, UK and is supported by BMI and FAMES Project with further support from Whistling Woods.

16th MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL CAMPAIGN PROMO GETS SUPPORT FROM THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

Sonakshi Sinha shooting for a Campaign for the Mumbai Film Festival

Mumbai, October 7, 2014: The 16^th edition of the Mumbai film festival organized by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) officially announces the release of its promotional campaign. Cinema lovers are eagerly awaiting the first look of the campaign promos that will be first available on Film Companion, the online platform for film lovers, followed by a sweep across mediums such as television and theatres.

Cinema incites passion. And the Mumbai Film Festival in its 16^th year witnessed unparalleled passion and determination from Cinema lovers across the spectrum. Despite debilitating hurdles the Mumbai Film Festival is all set to open on the 14th of October with the enormous support from the Indian Film Industry, patrons and all those who have unwavering faith in the festival. 

The soon to be launched festival promotional campaign, conceptualized and crafted by filmmaker Shakun Batra, and produced by Roopak Saluja’s THE 120 Media Collective, features  12 leading  Bollywood celebrities including  film makers Anurag Kashyap, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Zoya Akhtar​, Imtiaz Ali​, Rajkumar Hirani​, Actors ​Varun Dhawan, Imran Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra, ​Sonakshi Sinha, Huma Qureshi​ and Editor of Film Companion and noted film critic Anupama Chopra who has come on board as the Creative Director of the festival this year. The response from the industry to support the festival is staggering. 

The promotional campaign is directed by National Award winning directors Satyanshu Singh and Devanshu Singh.  Old MAMI loyalists, the directors did the campaign free of charge. The Mumbai Film Festival campaign promo is produced by the Digital and Content Partner – THE 120 Media Collective – a company that creates, produces, distributes content for audiences & brands across multiple platforms & geographies. THE120MC team is producing exclusive video content and managing the MAMI social media platforms with updates and content throughout the festival tenure.

Sharing the trajectory of the creation of the campaign and how her initial ideas about the festival came to life Anupama Chopra shared, “The MAMI promo is proof of how invested the Hindi film industry is in keeping this festival alive.  Director Shakun Batra brought everyone together. Devanshu and Satyanshu Singh directed the promo.  Actors and directors across the board came forward and shot for it, all without any payment of course. It's heartening and I am so grateful to everyone for their support.”

Satyanshu Singh of the writer - director duo is thrilled to have been involved with the promo creation of the esteemed festival and expressed, “We have been hardcore MAMI fans, watching five movies every day at the festival every year. Since 2009, I (Satyanshu) have been writing about the festival on my blog every single day of the festival week. It is a great feeling to see the festival taking place despite the initial road blocks.  The moment Shakun approached us with the offer to write and direct the festival promo; we knew we had to do it. This is our little contribution to the festival we love the most.”

Promo co-director Devanshu Singh shared the experience of culminating their initial ideas to the much anticipated campaign promos and said, “Shooting these promos has been amazing. All the celebrities we shot with very patiently allowed us to do what we wanted to. Big thanks to them but Shakun, Anupama and her team deserve special thanks for trusting us with something so special.”

- See more filmy and Bollywood news and pictures at:
 http://www.filmytown.com/ 

Shakun Batra, the curator of the campaign promos said, “I am just a very small part of a very big team of film lovers who've come together to support the festival. My only contribution was to put a team together and call all my friends and film buffs to contribute in some way. It was heartening to see so many people from the fraternity, give their valuable time to help the festival. I am very thankful to directors Satyanshu and Devanshu and the technicians who come on-board, purely out of their love for cinema.”

The soon to be unveiled campaign promos have been possible with enormous support from the luminaries of Indian Cinema and will hit various media platforms to reach the movie buffs who are eagerly waiting for a glimpse of what this mega festival has in store.

The 16^th edition of the Mumbai film festival organized by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) will be held from 14-21 October 2014 at PVR Citimall and Cinemax Versova as the main venue and Liberty Cinemas at Marine lines as the satellite venue. The 8-day long festival features over 185 films from more than 65 countries this year besides a lot engagement and interaction with the who’s who of world cinema.

French actress Nathalie Baye as jury for Mumbai Film Fest

By Editorial

JURY OF 15TH MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED

BRUCE BERESFORD, ASGHAR FARHADI, SIDDIQ BARMAK AND
KONKONA SEN SHARMA TOP HEADLINERS


Bruce Beresford to head international Competition Jury
Asghar Farhadi to head India Gold 2013 competition jury

International competition jury members include Nathalie Baye Masato Harada, Konkana Sen Sharma
India Gold competition jury include Jill Bilcock, Waris Hussein, Siddiq Barmak, Roger Garcia
As the buzz builds up to the 15th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival, the just-announced list of jury members has raised expectations even further. Featuring a heady mix of some of the finest film makers, actors and connoisseurs, the fest is set to be bigger come October.
Heading the International Competition jury as the president will be director Bruce Beresford, whose 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy won the Academy Award for the Best Film.  He was also nominated for Best Director in 1984 for Tender Mercies. This jury also boasts of more world class talents in the French actress Nathalie Baye, multi-faceted artist who has worked with the likes of Godard and Truffaut. There is Masato Harada too, renowned Japanese actor -  director of The Last Samurai fame and our own Konkana Sen Sharma, who’s given us memorable films such as Mr and Mrs Iyer and Omkara.

The India Gold 2013 Competition section jury is equally eminent, with the Academy Award winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi heading the Jury panel as President. By his side will be the man behind the acclaimed film Osama (2004) which won him an Academy award nomination, Siddiq Barmark. More names on this list include acclaimed British actor/director Waris Hussein of Doctor Who and Passage to India fame, Jill Bilcock

(Australian Film Editor and Academy Award nominee for Moulin Rouge) and Roger Garcia, the executive director of the prestigious Hong Kong International Film Festival, film critic and an authority on Asian Cinema.

The 15th Mumbai Film Festival will take place from the 17th – 24, October 2013.

The 15th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival will be held at Metro Cinema and Liberty Cinemas as the main festival venues and Cinemax, Andheri (West) as the satellite venue.  
- See more at: http://www.filmytown.com/french-actress-nathalie-baye-mumbai-fest/