The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is set to return for its 2024 edition from October 19 to 24. The six-day-long showcase of global cinema, creativity and cultural exchange has more than 110 films from over 45 countries on its slate — presented in more than 50 languages across various genres — as part of their official selection.

The film festival organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) has brought contemporary world cinema and talent to Mumbai since 1997. Aiming to spotlight South Asian and South Asian diaspora filmmakers, MAMI supports emerging talent while providing access to knowledge related to filmmaking, funding, film distribution, business opportunities and strategic marketing. Their year-long programmes also include screenings, workshops for skill development and masterclasses featuring winners of international awards like the Cannes Caméra d'Or, Berlin Silver Bear, Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and the Venice Golden Lion and Jury Prize, among others. MAMI will also screen the official submissions to the 2024 Academy Awards from various countries.

The official section for the 2024 edition is as follows:

SOUTH ASIA COMPETITION: 2023 saw the inaugural South Asia Competition, the main section of the festival, that highlights the most promising voices among independent filmmakers from South Asia and the South Asian diaspora. Featuring a lineup of 11 films — seven of which are South Asian and diasporic, and four are Indian — it includes a mix of fiction, animation and documentaries, alongside internationally co-produced films and independent sole productions. The entries represent 10 languages and 12 countries.

1. Agent of Happiness by Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó

Nepali, Dzongkha, English | Bhutan, Hungary | South Asia Premiere

2. Girls Will Be Girls by Shuchi Talati

English, Hindi | France, India, Norway | South Asia Premiere

3. Kiss Wagon by Midhun Murali

Malayalam | India | South Asia Premiere

4. Little Jaffna by Lawrence Valin

French, Tamil | France | Asia Premiere

5. Nocturnes by Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan

English, Hindi, Bugun | India, USA | South Asia Premiere

6. Pooja, Sir by Deepak Rauniyar

Hindi, Maithili, Nepali | Nepal, Norway, USA | Asia Premiere

7. Rhythm of a Flower (Phool Ka Chand) by Amit Dutta

Hindi | India | World Premiere

8. Santosh by Sandhya Suri

Hindi | UK, Germany, France, India | South Asia Premiere

9. Shambhala by Min Bahadur Bham

Tibetan, Nepali | Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, Turkey, Taiwan, USA | India Premiere

10. The Fable by Raam Reddy

English, Hindi | India, USA | Asia Premiere

11. Village Rockstars 2 by Rima Das

Assamese | India | South Asia Premiere

FOCUS SOUTH ASIA: This section offers a variety of films of all lengths, including works on South Asian themes by non-South Asian directors. Comprising 10 features and 13 non-features, the selection aims to capture a spectrum of experiences — from personal narratives to postmodern takes on superstardom. 

Features:

1. A Fly on the Wall by Nilesh Maniyar, Shonali Bose

English | India, USA | South Asia Premiere

2. Angammal by Vipin Radhakrishnan

Tamil | India | World Premiere

3. Boong by Lakshmipriya Devi

Manipuri | India | Asia Premiere

4. Humans in the Loop by Aranya Sahay

Hindi, Kurukh | India | World Premiere

5. In Retreat (Be-qayaam) by Maisam Ali

Hindi, Ladakhi | India | South Asia Premiere

6. Marching in the Dark by Kinshuk Surjan

Marathi | Belgium, India, Netherlands | South Asia Premiere

7. The Real Superstar by Cédric Dupire

Hindi | France | Asia Premiere

8. The Shameless by Konstantin Bojanov

Hindi | Switzerland, Bulgaria, France, Taiwan, India | Asia Premiere

9. The Sharp Edge of Peace by Roya Sadat

Arabic, English, Farsi, Pashto | Afghanistan, Belgium, Qatar, United Kingdom, USA | Asia Premiere

10. Wild Flower Garland (Katu Pootha Malay) by Udayraj P.J.

Tulu | India | Asia Premiere

Non-features:

1. Am I the Skinniest Person You've Ever Seen? by Eisha Marjara

English | Canada | International Premiere

2. Blind Spot (Chashma) by Nitin Baid

Hindi | India | World Premiere

3. Bunnyhood by Mansi Maheshwari

English | UK | Asia Premiere

4. Claws and Teeth by Srujan Belli

Kannada | India | World Premiere

5. Comrade Poopy by M Anonymous

Burmese | Myanmar | India Premiere

6. Cry Me A River by Suman Sen

Mandarin, Taiwanese | India, Taiwan | India Premiere

7. Free as a Bird by Aditya Khude

Hindi | India | World Premiere

8. Holy Curse by Snigdha Kapoor

English, Hindi | India, USA | Asia Premiere

9. In Flanders Fields (Flanders Di Zameen Vich) by Sachin

Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Urdu | Belgium, India | India Premiere

10. Monsoon Walk by Avinash Arun Dhaware

Marathi | India | Asia Premiere

11. Skyward (Gagan Gaman) by Suruchi Sharma

Dhundhari, Hindi, Rajasthani | France, India, USA | World Premiere

12. The Gap (Le Gap) by Keerthigan Sivakumar

French, Tamil | Switzerland | Asia Premiere

13. Tracker (Taak) by Udit Khurana

Hindi | India | World Premiere

GALA PREMIERES: This out-of-competition section features a selection of Indian films with popular names in their ensemble cast members. 

1. Despatch by Kanu Behl

2. Ghamasaan by Tigmanshu Dhulia

3. Go Noni Go by Sonal Dabral

4. My Melbourne by Kabir Khan, Imtiaz Ali, Onir, Rima Das 

5. The Ancient (Puratawn) by Suman Ghosh

WORLD CINEMA: This section has been an integral part of the festival since its inception in 1997. Presenting a panoramic view of the most ambitious and accomplished new films from around the globe, including titles by Pedro Almodóvar, Jacques Audiard, Coralie Fargeat, Aaron Schimberg, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Olivier Assayas, Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, Dea Kulumbegashvili and Matthew Rankin. It also includes ‘Rendezvous with French Cinema’ this year, highlighting the finest in contemporary French filmmaking, in collaboration with the Institut Français en Inde (French Institute in India). Some of the films have been brought to Mumbai owing to the 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.

1. A Different Man by Aaron Schimberg

2. A Traveler’s Needs (Yeohaengjaui Pilyo) by Hong Sangsoo

3. April by Dea Kulumbegashvili

4. An Unfinished Film by Lou Ye

5. An Urban Allegory (Allégorie citadine) by Alice Rohrwacher and JR

6. Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel

7. Blue Sun Palace by Constance Tsang

8. Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point by Tyler Taormina

9. Cloud by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

10. Diciannove by Giovanni Tortorici

11. Dying (Sterben) by Matthias Glasner

12. Edge of Night (Gecenin Kıyısı) by Türker Süer

13. Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard

14. Good One by India Donaldson

15. Happyend by Neo Sora

16. Harvest by Athina Rachel Tsangari

17. It's Not Me (C'est pas moi) by Leos Carax

18. Kill the Jockey (El Jockey) by Luis Ortega

19. Kneecap by Rich Peppiatt

20. Love (Kjaerlighet) by Dag Johan Haugerud

21. Misericordia (Miséricorde) by Alain Guiraudie

22. No Other Land by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor

23. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl by Rungano Nyoni

24. Riefenstahl by Andres Veiel

25. Rumours by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson

26. Russians at War by Anastasia Trofimova

27. Sasquatch Sunset by David Zellner, Nathan Zellner

28. Sex by Dag Johan Haugerud

29. sr by Lea Hartlaub

30. Suspended Time (Hors du temps) by Olivier Assayas

31. The Damned by Roberto Minervini

32. The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med nålen) by Magnus von Horn

33. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin by Benjamin Ree

34. The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodóvar

35. The Sparrow in the Chimney (Der Spatz im Kamin) by Ramon Zürcher

36. The Substance by Coralie Fargeat

37. The Village Next to Paradise by Mo Harawe

38. The Wolves Always Come at Night by Gabrielle Brady

39. Universal Language by Matthew Rankin

40. Viet and Nam by Trương Minh Quý

41. Wild Diamond (Diamant Brut) by Agathe Riedinger

DIMENSIONS MUMBAI: A competitive programme of short films by budding filmmakers aged 18 to 25.

1. A Tale Of Two Cities by Sameeha Sabnis

2. After Twenty Years (Iruvathu Varudangal Kazhithu) by Sparsh Srivastava

3. Banata Hai by Arya Pravin Sagar, Karan Bharat Patel

4. Beyond Nothingness (Shunya Ke Paar) by Akul Kumar

5. Beyond the Horizon by Disha Pawar

6. BMCLD by Shreela Agarwal

7. Chhat by Vaidaangi Sharma

8. I Was Painted Red by Bhagyesh Rajeshirke

9. The Hamster by Vahram Adajania

10. The Jellyfish Can't Live Without Water by Harsh Salunke

11. The Slow Train by Tanmay Gemini

12. 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 Indian short films.

1. A Flight of the Lost Dreamy Bird (Hare Patte Ke Rang Ki Patrangi Aur Kahin Kho Gaya Naam Ka Ladka) by Chaman Ramesh Kishan

2. Ade (On A Sunday) by Theja Rio

3. Ballad of the Mountain by Tarun Jain

4. Coming Back to Life (Et Moi, Je Revis) by Mantra Watsa

5. Leela by Tanmay Chowdhary

6. Lice (Jooyein) by Vindhya Gupta

7. Noises from the Basement by Abhay P.

8. Sombre Skies (Mekhavritham) by Manoj Ajith Panicker

9. The Fishes (Meenukal) by Achuth Giri

10. The Usher by Zubin A. Mehta

11. Aloo Bhujia by Lakshmi R. Iyer

12. The Promise by Tigmanshu Dhulia

RESTORED CLASSICS: Initially featured in the 2012 edition of the festival, this section showcases restored classic films from India and around the world.

1. Burden of Dreams by Les Blank, Maureen Gosling

2. Camp de Thiaroye by Ousmane Sembène, Thierno Faty Sow

3. The Mirage (Māyā Miriga) by Nirad Mohapatra

4. The Ritual (Ghatashraddha) by Girish Kasaravalli

The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 also features several prestigious awards. The South Asia Competition includes the Golden Gateway, Silver Gateway, Special Jury Prize, and the Rashid Irani Young Critics Choice awards, along with the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) Award. While the ‘Dimensions Mumbai’ section includes Gold and Silver prizes for short films, the Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films honours storytelling, acting and tech innovation. The Film Critics Guild presents awards for gender sensitivity and the best young critic, while the Excellence in Cinema Award recognises outstanding contributions to film. The Best Book on Cinema Award celebrates exceptional film writing.