18th Mumbai International Film Festival Scheduled For June 15-21, Showcasing Global Cinema

New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) The 18th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) will be held in Mumbai from June 15 to 21, Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju announced on Friday. Addressing a press conference at the National Media Centre, Jaju said the film gala, which showcases non-feature films (documentary, short fiction, and animation), will be at the FD-NFDC Complex in Mumbai. MIFF screenings will also be held in Delhi at Sirifort Auditorium, Chennai at Tagore Film Centre, Pune at NFAI auditorium, and Kolkata at SRFTI Auditorium. A premier international event in the documentary film world, the Mumbai International Film Festival is held once every two years since its inception in 1990.

The 2024 edition will open with the screening of National Geographic's documentary "Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story". The organisers received a record number of 1018 films from 38 countries and across 65 languages for the latest edition. A total of 118 films have been selected by three selection committees comprising eminent film experts for the International (25) and National (77) competition sections along with 16 films in MIFF PRISM. There will be eight world premieres, six international premieres, 17 Asia premieres, and 15 India premieres during the film gala where special packages have also been curated.

The first package will comprise 12 short films each from Oscars and Berlin Film Festival. A 'Special Country Focus' package will spotlight collaborations with seven countries -- Russia, Japan, Belarus, Italy, Iran, Vietnam, and Mali. Another notable package will focus on animation films from four countries - France, Slovenia, Argentina, and Greece.

Jury and Awards

The international jury includes eminent film personalities from across the world -- Keiko Bang, Barthelemy Fougea, Audrius Stonys, Bharat Bala, and Manas Choudhary. They will award the Golden Conch for the best documentary film, the Silver Conch for the best international short fiction film and best animation film, and the Pramod Pati Award for the most innovative/experimental film. The jury for the national competition includes Adele Seelmann-Eggebert, Dr Bobby Sarma Baruah, Apoorva Bakshi, Munjal Shroff, and Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck.

They will confer awards for the best Indian documentary, short film, animation, best debut film award (sponsored by the Maharashtra government), and best student film award (sponsored by Indian Documentary Producers Association). Additionally, there are three technical awards -- for cinematography, editing, and sound design -- to be given for both national and international competition. A special award for best short film on "India in Amrit Kaal" will also be presented.

Masterclasses and Discussions

The 18th MIFF will host engaging masterclasses, in-conversations, and panel discussions with filmmakers such as Santosh Sivan, Audrius Stonys, Ketan Mehta, Richie Mehta, T.S Nagabharana, Georges Schwizgebel among others. These sessions aim to provide insights into various aspects of filmmaking and offer a platform for knowledge exchange among industry professionals.