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Ready. Steady. Play! 

Welcome to the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival!

Since projectors first blasted black and white images onto the big screen, films have been a powerful force to alter perspective.

While movies have always been an effective medium to communicate messages and ideas to a captive audience, digital media now allows us to keep those messages alive long after people leave the theater. More and more filmmakers today are tapping into this as an effective way to invoke consciences and create a perceptive shift.

This festival is a tribute to Mumbai’s legendary love-story with celluloid.

The city’s magnetic energy has kindled some of the most incredible stories to inspire or provoke the film-loving world, and open new gateways for ground-breaking cinematic magnificence.

And despite all odds, the spirit of Mumbai has always crackled bravely on to enable metamorphosis.

 Films, we sternly believe, can change the world.

And in our 18th year, we’ve aspired to infuse this week-long fest with Mumbai’s attitude and fearlessness.

Like always, the exclusively curated line-up this year will celebrate not just the finest but also the freshest in the industry.

But… as you’ve probably noticed, we’ve done things rather differently this time.

From opening the fest at the iconic Royal Opera House in South Mumbai and getting none other than Jia Zhangke and Cary Fukunaga themselves to spill some filmmaking secrets in their enthralling Masterclasses to showcasing Turkey’s brilliant best to inculcating young viewers in our awesome Half Ticket screenings AND hand-picking special categories to get your binge-watch on… we’re bigger, bolder and brighter than ever before!

See you at the movies!


Lifetime Achievement Awards

Jia Zhangke

Critically-acclaimed director Jia Zhangke hails from the ‘Sixth Generation’ of Chinese filmmakers — known for depicting the lives of the marginalised, who have been left behind by China’s economic boom. Offering a unique perspective on a transitional generation, his films are a cinematic portrayal of his country, post-Mao and post-globalisation. Some of the classics by the filmmaker include his multi-award winning debut film Xiao Wu, Still Life, Mountains May Depart and A Touch of Sin, which is being showcased at the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star. Jia Zhangke is being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at MAMI.

Sai Paranjpye

National-award winning director and screenwriter Sai Paranjpye’s career has spanned over four decades. She started her journey as an announcer at AIR following which she got involved in the Children’s programs at the national radio station. She has also served as the Chairperson of Children’s film Society, India for two terms. Paranjpye has directed plays in Hindi, Marathi & English and has also produced popular TV programs for Doordarshan. Some of her celebrated films include Sparsh, Chashme Buddoor, Angootha Chhap and Katha. Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star salutes her milestones with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Half Ticket Young Adult Screenwriting Workshop

Love for cinema is not restricted by age. Recognizing this belief, the Half Ticket Young Adult Screenwriting Workshop provides a platform to encourage young writers and nurture their craft of writing for film.

Actress Dia Mirza, director Dibakar Banerjee and writer Varun Grover, will mentor nine aspiring screenwriters in the age group of 12 to 16 years. As part of their training process, these young writers also attended a preparatory foundation workshop by writer Sanyukhta Chawla Sheikh.

The finale of the Half Ticket Young Adult Screenwriting Workshop will see the nine writers present their work to the esteemed mentors and gain valuable insights on honing their skills.