MAMI Mumbai Film Festival announces the 2024 Official Film Selections
The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, one of Asia’s most prestigious cinematic events, returns for its 2024 edition (19-24 October). This six-day celebration of global cinema, creativity, community, and culture will showcase 110+ films from over 45 countries—spanning 50+ languages, lengths and genres—as part of the Official Selection.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural South Asia Competition, the Main Competition section continues to highlight the strongest voices among independent filmmakers from South Asia and its diaspora. The expanded vision of the erstwhile ‘India Gold’, already very popular among independent filmmakers in the country, continues to successfully attract some of the best talent from across the region to compete with their feature films. This year’s competition comprises 11 features with a wonderful representation of seven South Asian and diaspora films, alongside four Indian features. The line-up has a mix of fiction, documentary and animation as well as internationally co-produced films and independent sole productions. Five of the competing directors are women, and most of the films are South Asian Premieres, with a line-up that includes World, Asia, and India Premieres. Two of the competing films are official Oscar submissions from their respective countries.
The Focus South Asia section includes films of all lengths, with the non-features grouped into packages. The non-competitive feature films in this section offer a diverse and dynamic array of storytelling, including two films on South Asian themes by non-South Asian directors. The eclectic selection explores a broad spectrum of unique and demanding experiences, from a deeply personal narrative to a postmodern take on superstardom, making this section a rich exploration of the South Asian experience.
The World Cinema section will showcase some of the most celebrated films of the year. Among the big-ticket films are The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodóvar, Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard, The Substance by Coralie Fargeat, A Different Man by Aaron Schimberg, Cloud by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Harvest by Athina Rachel Tsangari, Suspended Time by Olivier Assayas, Rumours by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson & Galen Johnson, April by Dea Kulumbegashvili, and Universal Language by Matthew Rankin.
The festival will open screens across the city to thousands of cinema lovers, offering a selection of some of the best films from around the world. The lineup includes winners of prestigious international awards, such as the Caméra d’Or and Jury Prize winners from the Cannes Film Festival, the Silver Bear winners from the Berlin International Film Festival, the Audience Award winner from the Sundance Film Festival, the Golden Lion and Jury Prize winners from the Venice International Film Festival.
MAMI will also screen the official submissions to the 2024 Academy Awards (aka the Oscars) from countries like Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Japan, Nepal, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Stay tuned for more films and announcements.
FILMS AT MAMI MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2024
SOUTH ASIA COMPETITION
This is the main competition section of the festival. The section aims to showcase breakthrough contemporary South Asian and South Asian diaspora films of the year.
With films representing 10 languages and 12 countries, the competition exemplifies the festival’s dedication to discovering new talent while championing the innovative and transformative power of cinema.
- Agent of Happiness by Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó
Nepali, Dzongkha, English | Bhutan, Hungary | South Asia Premiere
- Girls Will Be Girls by Shuchi Talati
English, Hindi | France, India, Norway | South Asia Premiere
- Kiss Wagon by Midhun Murali
Malayalam | India | South Asia Premiere
- Little Jaffna by Lawrence Valin
French, Tamil | France | Asia Premiere
- Nocturnes by Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan
English, Hindi, Bugun | India, USA | South Asia Premiere
- Pooja, Sir by Deepak Rauniyar
Hindi, Maithili, Nepali | Nepal, Norway, USA | Asia Premiere
- Rhythm of a Flower (Phool Ka Chand) by Amit Dutta
Hindi | India | World Premiere
- Santosh by Sandhya Suri
Hindi | UK, Germany, France, India | South Asia Premiere
- Shambhala by Min Bahadur Bham
Tibetan, Nepali | Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, Turkey, Taiwan, USA | India Premiere
- The Fable by Raam Reddy
English, Hindi | India, USA | Asia Premiere
- Village Rockstars 2 by Rima Das
Assamese | India | South Asia Premiere
FOCUS SOUTH ASIA
MAMI’s non-competitive section of feature and short films by South Asian and South Asian diaspora filmmakers spotlights talent from the region highlighting the wealth of narratives and styles.
The lineup, comprising 10 features and 13 non-features, spans multiple languages and reflects the festival’s commitment to diverse, thought-provoking cinema.
Features
- A Fly on the Wall by Nilesh Maniyar, Shonali Bose
English | India, USA | South Asia Premiere
- Angammal by Vipin Radhakrishnan
Tamil | India | World Premiere
- Boong by Lakshmipriya Devi
Manipuri | India | Asia Premiere
- Humans in the Loop by Aranya Sahay
Hindi, Kurukh | India | World Premiere
- In Retreat (Be-qayaam) by Maisam Ali
Hindi, Ladakhi | India | South Asia Premiere
- Marching in the Dark by Kinshuk Surjan
Marathi | Belgium, India, Netherlands | South Asia Premiere
- The Real Superstar by Cédric Dupire
Hindi | France | Asia Premiere
- The Shameless by Konstantin Bojanov
Hindi | Switzerland, Bulgaria, France, Taiwan, India | Asia Premiere
- The Sharp Edge of Peace by Roya Sadat
Arabic, English, Farsi, Pashto | Afghanistan, Belgium, Qatar, United Kingdom, USA | Asia Premiere
- Wild Flower Garland (Katu Pootha Malay) by Udayraj P.J.
Tulu | India | Asia Premiere
Non-features
- Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? by Eisha Marjara
English | Canada | International Premiere
- Blind Spot (Chashma) by Nitin Baid
Hindi | India | World Premiere
- Bunnyhood by Mansi Maheshwari
English | UK | Asia Premiere
- Claws and Teeth by Srujan Belli
Kannada | India | World Premiere
- Comrade Poopy by M Anonymous
Burmese | Myanmar | India Premiere
- Cry Me A River by Suman Sen
Mandarin, Taiwanese | India, Taiwan | India Premiere
- Free as a Bird by Aditya Khude
Hindi | India | World Premiere
- Holy Curse by Snigdha Kapoor
English, Hindi | India, USA | Asia Premiere
- In Flanders Fields (Flanders Di Zameen Vich) by Sachin
Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Urdu | Belgium, India | India Premiere
- Monsoon Walk by Avinash Arun Dhaware
Marathi | India | Asia Premiere
- Skyward (Gagan Gaman) by Suruchi Sharma
Dhundhari, Hindi, Rajasthani | France, India, USA | World Premiere
- The Gap (Le Gap) by Keerthigan Sivakumar
French, Tamil | Switzerland | Asia Premiere
- Tracker (Taak) by Udit Khurana
Hindi | India | World Premiere
GALA PREMIERES
An out-of-competition section that presents a selection of Indian films with popular names in their ensemble cast. It showcases works from upcoming as well as established talent.
This specially curated out-of-competition comprises Despatch by Kanu Behl (starring Manoj Bajpayee, Shahana Goswami), Ghamasaan by Tigmanshu Dhulia (starring Arshad Warsi, Pratik Gandhi), Go Noni Go by Sonal Dabral (starring Dimple Kapadia, Manav Kaul), the anthology My Melbourne directed by Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, Onir, Rima Das, and The Ancient (Puratawn) by Suman Ghosh (starring Sharmila Tagore, Rituparna Sengupta and Indraneil Sengupta).
- Despatch by Kanu Behl
- Ghamasaan by Tigmanshu Dhulia
- Go Noni Go by Sonal Dabral
- My Melbourne by Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, Onir, Rima Das
- The Ancient (Puratawn) by Suman Ghosh
WORLD CINEMA
The World Cinema section has been an integral part of the festival since its inception in 1997. This segment offers a panoramic view of the most ambitious and accomplished new films from around the globe.
This section also includes ‘Rendezvous with French Cinema’, showcasing some of the finest in contemporary French filmmaking, in collaboration with the Institut Français en Inde. Additionally, select films have been brought to Mumbai through the generous support of the British Council, the Consulate General of Ireland, the Embassy of Spain, the German Consulate General in Mumbai, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Mumbai, and the Royal Norwegian Consulate General.
- A Different Man by Aaron Schimberg
- A Traveler’s Needs (Yeohaengjaui Pilyo) by Hong Sangsoo
- April by Dea Kulumbegashvili
- An Unfinished Film by Lou Ye
- An Urban Allegory (Allégorie citadine) by Alice Rohrwacher and JR
- Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
- Blue Sun Palace by Constance Tsang
- Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point by Tyler Taormina
- Cloud by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Diciannove by Giovanni Tortorici
- Dying (Sterben) by Matthias Glasner
- Edge of Night (Gecenin Kıyısı) by Türker Süer
- Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard
- Good One by India Donaldson
- Happyend by Neo Sora
- Harvest by Athina Rachel Tsangari
- It’s Not Me (C’est pas moi) by Leos Carax
- Kill the Jockey (El Jockey) by Luis Ortega
- Kneecap by Rich Peppiatt
- Love (Kjaerlighet) by Dag Johan Haugerud
- Misericordia (Miséricorde) by Alain Guiraudie
- No Other Land by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl by Rungano Nyoni
- Riefenstahl by Andres Veiel
- Rumours by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
- Russians at War by Anastasia Trofimova
- Sasquatch Sunset by David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
- Sex by Dag Johan Haugerud
- sr by Lea Hartlaub
- Suspended Time (Hors du temps) by Olivier Assayas
- The Damned by Roberto Minervini
- The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med nålen) by Magnus von Horn
- The Remarkable Life of Ibelin by Benjamin Ree
- The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodóvar
- The Sparrow in the Chimney (Der Spatz im Kamin) by Ramon Zürcher
- The Substance by Coralie Fargeat
- The Village Next to Paradise by Mo Harawe
- The Wolves Always Come at Night by Gabrielle Brady
- Universal Language by Matthew Rankin
- Viet and Nam by Trương Minh Quý
- Wild Diamond (Diamant Brut) by Agathe Riedinger
DIMENSIONS MUMBAI
Dimensions Mumbai is a competitive programme of short films by budding filmmakers (ages 18 to 25) presenting creative responses to the city that is home to MAMI.
- A Tale Of Two Cities by Sameeha Sabnis
- After Twenty Years (Iruvathu Varudangal Kazhithu) by Sparsh Srivastava
- Banata Hai by Arya Pravin Sagar, Karan Bharat Patel
- Beyond Nothingness (Shunya Ke Paar) by Akul Kumar
- Beyond the Horizon by Disha Pawar
- BMCLD by Shreela Agarwal
- Chhat by Vaidaangi Sharma
- I Was Painted Red by Bhagyesh Rajeshirke
- The Hamster by Vahram Adajania
- The Jellyfish Can’t Live Without Water by Harsh Salunke
- The Slow Train by Tanmay Gemini
- What’s in a Name? (Naam Main Kya Rakha Hain?) by Avi Kesarwani
ROYAL STAG BARREL SELECT LARGE SHORT FILMS
Introduced in 2016, this is a competitive section for shorts where aspiring and established directors alike bring exceptional storytelling to curious audiences. These films of up to twenty minutes are from filmmakers across India and the Indian diaspora.
- A Flight of the Lost Dreamy Bird (Hare Patte Ke Rang Ki Patrangi Aur Kahin Kho Gaya Naam Ka Ladka) by Chaman Ramesh Kishan
- Ade (On A Sunday) by Theja Rio
- Ballad of the Mountain by Tarun Jain
- Coming Back to Life (Et Moi, Je Revis) by Mantra Watsa
- Leela by Tanmay Chowdhary
- Lice (Jooyein) by Vindhya Gupta
- Noises from the Basement by Abhay P.
- Sombre Skies (Mekhavritham) by Manoj Ajith Panicker
- The Fishes (Meenukal) by Achuth Giri
- The Usher by Zubin A. Mehta
- Aloo Bhujia by Lakshmi R. Iyer
- The Promise by Tigmanshu Dhulia
RESTORED CLASSICS
This section was first featured at the festival in 2012. The festival is deeply committed to honouring and preserving the cinematic legacy and this section showcases restored classic films from India and around the world. This curated collection features 4 films and offers audiences the opportunity to relish the magic of cinema’s past.
- Burden of Dreams by Les Blank, Maureen Gosling
- Camp de Thiaroye by Ousmane Sembène, Thierno Faty Sow
- The Mirage (Māyā Miriga) by Nirad Mohapatra
- The Ritual (Ghatashraddha) by Girish Kasaravalli
AWARDS AT MAMI MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2024
SOUTH ASIA COMPETITION
Dedicated to showcasing breakthrough contemporary South Asian films of the year.
Golden Gateway Award: This includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 25,00,000 to be equally shared by the director(s) & producer(s).
Silver Gateway Award: This includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 15,00,000 to be equally shared by the director(s) & producer(s).
Special Jury Prize: This includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 5,00,000. This is an individual prize awarded by the Jury.
Rashid Irani Young Critics Choice Award: Awarded by participants of the Rashid Irani Young Critics Lab, this includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 2,00,000 awarded to the producer(s).
NETPAC AWARD
The Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC), a globally renowned organisation with the primary aim of fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of Asian films and their creators, was founded in 1990 by Aruna Vasudev. At MAMI, the NETPAC Award will be presented to a film from the South Asian Competition section.
DIMENSIONS MUMBAI
Showcases short films by budding filmmakers presenting creative responses to the city that is home to MAMI.
Dimensions Mumbai Gold Award: This includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 1,00,000 for the director(s).
Dimensions Mumbai Silver Award: This includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 50,000 for the director(s).
ROYAL STAG BARREL SELECT LARGE SHORT FILMS
Honouring the craft of select storytellers.
Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films for Best Film: This includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 1,00,000 for the director(s).
Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films for Best Actor: This includes a trophy and a cash prize of INR 75,000 for the actor.
Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films for Best Innovation in Tech
Film Critics Guild Gender Sensitivity Award
The Film Critics Guild—an association of the country’s most credible and discerning critics—recognises and awards one South Asian film that questions gender norms and challenges stereotypes.
The Best Book on Cinema Award
The award celebrates unique perspectives and nuanced, immersive film writing on cinema. The winner of the Award will receive a trophy and a cash prize of INR 2,00,000.
Rashid Irani Best Young Critic Award
Rashid Irani Best Young Critic Award honours the talent and rigour of young critical minds in writing, observing and analysing cinema. The winner will be presented with a Best Young Critic Award trophy and a certificate.
EXCELLENCE IN CINEMA AWARD
This award honours individual/s who have made outstanding, long-lasting contributions to the world of film and cinema.