Main Story
DepartmentWhat do kids do when they get a new toy? Well, they experiment with it. What does a director who is…
Mr. Bhatti On ChuttiNot every film releases as planned and, at times, it could be years before it emerges from the…
Love Lies & SeetaAn unconventional love story set in a New York summer, this film follows the lives of three…
Chalo CannesAnurag Kashyap is ecstatic as his film, Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW), is going to the Cannes film…
Department DisappointsThis week witnessed the release of Ram Gopal Varma’s Department featuring Amitabh Bachchan…
Balan On Rakhi Sawant In TDP’s Bengali RemakeNow we all know that Rakhi Sawant will step into Vidya Balan’s shoes in the Bengali version of…
Sujoy Ghosh To Direct Vidya, Prosenjit In His Next?Vidya Balan is at the top of her game right now and is even being called the “new hero” in our…
Vidya Balan Wants George ClooneyIt’s of the biggest films of the year so far and it was no surprise when we heard that YRF's…
MAMI 2011
‘Our goal is to continue to surpass our own benchmarks’
Tina Ambani, chairperson of the Harmony for Silvers Foundation which is supporting and promoting MFF, in conversation with Sagorika Dasgupta
How did you become involved with MAMI and the Mumbai Film Festival?
MAMI, which is the organising body of theMumbai Film Festival, is the only body inthe ...
“MFF Can Be A Cannes One Day”
Kiran Rao in conversation with Parag Maniar
What made you agree to be a jury member at MFF?
Because Mumbai is the centre of the film industry and has a long history of Indian cinema. It is a great place to have the most-awaited festival in the country ...
“Aamir Khan turned down my offer”
Canadian-born film director and writer Roger Spottiswoode is on the International Competition jury at the Mumbai Film Festival. Having directed a number of notable films and television productions including Under Fire (1983) and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, Spottiswoode is looking forward to all the Indian movies at ...
“I am very eager to watch new Indian cinema”
As Jury President, what are your criteria to evaluate the films?
We will be making our decision on the originality of the script. That is the main aspect of evaluation. Another aspect will be good story telling. We will be looking at new forms of film structure and the ...
Les Bien-aimes (Beloved)
DIRECTOR: Christophe Honoré
COUNTRY: France
The film begins in Prague with Madeleine who is madly in love with her husband, Jaromil. Communist politics and Madeleine’s desire to lead a cushy life in Paris leads to a divorce between the two.Madeleine soon finds herself a loving husband in Francois. ...
Posted in MAMI 2011
Tagged Christophe Honoré, Les Bien-aimes (Beloved), Madeleine, Prague
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The Salt Of Life (Gianni e le Donne)
DIRECTOR: Gianni Di Gregorio
COUNTRY: Italy
Gianni, the actor and director, has crafted a refreshingly beautiful movie about his fascination with a last shot at romance. Gianni is a retired husband, unhappy with his marriage, and constantly heckled by his ailing yet fit-to-play-poker mother. He is a middle-age ...
Love You To Death
DIRECTOR: Rafeeq Ellias
COUNTRY: India
Love You To Death is an eccentric tale of love, money and revenge. The plot concerns a married couple, Atul and Sonia, who are bound to each other by money. Sonia has all the money, thrives on tarot cards and uses crystals for ...
A People Uncounted
Director: Aaron Yeger
COUNTRY: Canada
An eye-opening and path-breaking documentary crafted around the Nazi genocide and the atrocities committed against the Roma (Gypsies) people. Since we usually assume that Nazi atrocities were committed against the Jews, the eye-opening angle in this film is that the victims are the ...
La Conquete
DIRECTOR: Xavier Durringer
COUNTRY: France
A political thriller set in France, this film traces the rise of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The director, for obvious reasons, states that this film though based on real events, is a work of fiction. Still, it gives you insider accounts of the ...
Best Intentions
Director: Adrian Sitaru
COUNTRY: Romania
Director Adrian Sitaru’s second feature film, Din dragoste, cu cele mai bune intenţii is a new ‘part of the pack’ in Mumbai Film Festival. With various new techniques in direction of photography, Adrian stands apart due to his unique presentation.
The story ...
Whose Script Is It Anyway?
An open forum on the state of screen-writing in the Hindi film industry was held on the seventh day of the 13th Mumbai Film Festival. The panel comprised Saurabh Shukla, Abbas Tyrewala, Sagar Bellary, Dev Benegal and Vinay Shukla. The discussion was moderated by Atul Tiwari and highlighted the importance ...
Posted in MAMI 2011
Tagged Abbas Tyrewala, Atul Tiwari, Dev Benegal, Sagar Bellary, Saurabh Shukla, Vinay Shukla
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“India Was In George’s Destiny”
Editor David Tedeschi and Producer Olivia Harrison on the documentary George Harrison – Living In The Material World
What is George Harrison – Living In The Material World all about?
Olivia Harrison (OH): I wanted to have an honest and accurate record of George’s life. Other people wanted to ...
Posted in MAMI 2011
Tagged Bob Dylan, David Tedeschi, Olivia Harrison, Osbournes, Rolling Stones
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Falling Through The Cracks
Film historian Ian Birnie on the importance of government funding for film festivals
The 13th Mumbai Film Festival is drawing a good response. A host of people comprising not just cinephiles and film students but also directors, producers and scriptwriters have turned up to make their presence felt. This is ...
Bijuka (The Scarecrow)
DIRECTOR: Ashter Sayed
COUNTRY: India
Bijuka (The Scarecrow) is a practical feature film shot in Rajasthan. ‘Inspired by true events’, its plot revolves around an abusive arranged marriage between Lalli, a pretty young woman, and Painku, her abusive and heartless husband. The pompous and arrogant Painku is easy ...
Pina
DIRECTOR: Wim Wenders
COUNTRY: France/ Germany
The concept is simplistic – an ode to Pina Bausch, the most brilliant dancer of all time. It is a dedication of dance pieces to her comprising of modern dance and ballet by her colleagues and students from the dance company. Everyone ...
The Monsters’ Dinner
DIRECTOR: Ramin matin
COUNTRY: TURKEY
Despite its few gut-wrenching scenes and its gross concept, the film is a class apart as it depicts hideous acts with humour.
The story is set in one single night. A couple, J (Ibrahim Selim) and M (Pinar Tore) invites their friends ...
Posted in MAMI 2011
Tagged Gizem Erdem, Ramin matin, The Monsters’ Dinner, Tugrul Tulek
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All For One
The challenge was to create a poster that would be adaptable to various collaterals such as hoardings, tickets, catalogue covers and invitation cards, and also a strong visual that was easy to recall. Instead of an iconic mono-graphic, I created a background, a kind of tapestry of the city of ...
Where Small Is Big
Marathi films, even though sub-titled, rarely get the exposure they deserve. There are a lot of limitations that work against regional cinema and it is really tough for Marathi films to have a decent release.
Thus, the MFF is an important platform for filmmakers like me to screen their ...
Reviewers Reviewed!
A panel discussion on the relevance of film reviews was held on the sixth day of the 13th Mumbai Film Festival. Filmmaker Nikhil Advani and film reviewers Mayank Shekhar, Bhawana Somaaya and Anupama Chopra were part of this discussion.
Chopra opened the debate by narrating how a film reviewer ...
Posted in MAMI 2011
Tagged Anjaana Anjaani, Anupama Chopra, Bhawana Somaaya, Mayank Shekhar, Nikhil Advani, Priyanka Chopra
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“I Hope MFM Grows Over The Years”
Adam Davies, CEO, Sanona Limited
I have been a regular visitor at film markets all over the world for 15 years, but this is my visit to the Mumbai Film Mart at the Mumbai Film Festival. The Film Mart is just a couple of years old so it is ...
Rapid Fire With Onir
What do you feel about the MFF this year?
It has not brought about a change in cinema for me personally as I have been making films before the MFF started. It is slowly creating an audience for world cinema and also for non-commercial cinema being made in ...
A Shammi Kapoor Festival?
I am pretty glad that the MFF is doing a niche boutique job of showcasing cinema from Mumbai’s point of view. It is high time Mumbai has its own film festival because Mumbai is a ‘film country’ by itself and not just a city. Also, with Reliance’s sponsorship the MFF ...
“I don’t compare film festivals”
Na Hong-jin, jury member for the International Competition section
When and how did you first learn about the Mumbai Film Festival?
Honestly, I was not aware of the MFF and learnt about it only when I was invited to be a jury member.
What made you ...
That Summer (Un ete brulent)
DIRECTOR: Philipp e Garrel
COUNTRY: France
That Summer chronicles the lives of four people and the metamorphosis of their
relationships over time. The film is narrated by Paul, a struggling actor, and his friendship with Friedrich, a painter in Italy. The two connect over political ideologies and ...
13th MFF Opens With Brad Pitt’s Moneyball
The 13th Mumbai Film Festival, organised by Mumbai...
The 13th Mumbai Film Festival, organised by Mumbai...
‘When I Lived My Dream’
Film festivals like MFF are places where dreams co...
Film festivals like MFF are places where dreams co...
“I am very eager to watch new Indian cinema”
As Jury President, what are your criteria to evalu...
As Jury President, what are your criteria to evalu...
Rapid Fire
A three-day (October 11 to 13) Indo-German script ...
A three-day (October 11 to 13) Indo-German script ...
Keeping It Real
Why veteran actor Brad Pitt was drawn to Moneyball...
Why veteran actor Brad Pitt was drawn to Moneyball...
Rapid Fire - Adoor Gopalkrishnan
What do you feel about the Mumbai Film Festival th...
What do you feel about the Mumbai Film Festival th...
“The ultimate honour”
The Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) has turned out to b...
The Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) has turned out to b...
“A landmark for every debutant”
This is my first experience with the Mumbai Film F...
This is my first experience with the Mumbai Film F...
Beyond Film Festivals
Dr Jabbar Patel, who has made many classic Marathi...
Dr Jabbar Patel, who has made many classic Marathi...
She Monkeys (Apflikorna)
She Monkeys is a Swedish drama which takes you for...
She Monkeys is a Swedish drama which takes you for...
Reviewers Reviewed!
A panel discussion on the relevance of film review...
A panel discussion on the relevance of film review...
Les Bien-aimes (Beloved)
The film begins in Prague with Madeleine who is ma...
The film begins in Prague with Madeleine who is ma...
