A key highlight of the 2024 festival is the South Asia Competition, which serves as a platform for independent filmmakers from the region and its diaspora. Continuing the legacy of the former India Gold section, this competition emphasizes the voices of emerging talent. Eleven films will compete in this category, including seven from South Asia and four Indian productions.
Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, Konstantin Bojanov’s The Shameless, Shuchi Talat’s Girls Will Be Girls and Lawrence Valin’s Little Jafna are some of the film’s included in the festival’s South Asia Competition this year. Among these, two are official Oscar submissions from their respective countries. The selection spans a variety of genres, including fiction, documentary, and animation, with most of the films making their South Asian premieres.
Meanwhile, Raam Reddy’s The Fable, starring Manoj Bajpayee, which previously premiered at Berlinale 2024, was included In Competition at this year’s event
World Cinema enthusiasts can expect a remarkable lineup featuring acclaimed films from internationally renowned directors. Standouts include Pedro Almodóvar’s Venice Golden Lion-winning The Room Next Door, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, that both won prizes at Cannes. Additional titles include Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest, Rich peppiat’s Kneecap and Olivier Assayas’s Suspended Time.
This year, the festival will also feature premieres across various categories, including over 20 World Premieres, 25+ Asia Premieres, and 35+ South Asia Premieres. In addition, MAMI will screen several official submissions for the 2024 Academy Awards, from countries like Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Japan, Nepal, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Last year’s festival Last year, was held across 10 days in November and December where over 250 films were screened including the festival opener, The Buckingham Murders and the closing film, Priscilla.
Beyond screenings, the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival offers masterclasses, panel discussions, and the South Asia Competition awards. Notable awards include the NETPAC Award, Rashid Irani Young Critics Choice Award, and Excellence in Cinema.