Mumbai: The 10th MAMI film festival, which is scheduled to be held from 6-13 March promises to be bigger and better. Presented by Reliance Big Entertainment, the weeklong festival will screen 140 films from 45 countries in three theatres in the city—Adlabs Wadala, Metro Adlabs and Cinemax Versova and will see a total investment of Rs 1.25 crore by Reliance.
 
“Our aim is to reach out to maximum number of people. All these years we struggled for funds, but Reliance’s backing since 2007 is helping us invite lot more international films and delegates for the festival,” says MAMI trustee Govind Nahlani.  
 
MAMI is also introducing a host of exciting new initiatives like Global Lifetime Achievement Award for an international director towards his/her contribution to world cinema. The first award will be conferred on Spanish director Carlos Saura, who will be in Mumbai to attend the function. Trustee of MAMI Jaya Bachchan initiated a short film competition called Dimensions Mumbai under which digital films of five minutes durations depicting Mumbai are being invited.    
 
Andrzej Wajda’s latest film Katyn, nominated for an Oscar’s foreign film category and premiered at the 58th Berlin Film Festival will be the opening film at MAMI. Japanese film The Mourning Forest, winner of Grand Prix at 60th Cannes Film Festival will be the closing film.
 
Adds trustee Ashutosh Gowarikar, “MAMI is bringing in a wide variety of contemporary films from all over the world. It will be interesting to get an exposure to films being made all over the world.”
 
Anurag Kashyap’s pick of movies include: Katyn, Mourning Forest, Kanal, Teeth of Love, I Served The King Of England, Dag Og Nat (Day and Night), Arizona Dreams, Neandertal, Ping pong, Truth or Dare, Relatives, Soom, Lebanon, Extras, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Belle Epoque, The Night of the Sunflowers, The Two sides of the Bed, Laberinto del fauno, El, Vitus, Citizen Dog, The Edge of Heaven, Orphanage and Retrospective movies of Andrzej Wajda and Ritwik Ghatak