When a group of film industry stalwarts headed by late Hrishikesh Mukherjee founded the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) as a not-for-profit trust, they envisioned an annual International Film Festival as a tribute to good cinema. Chaired by Shyam Benegal, it has grown over the years to include the best of world cinema. The latest avatar of the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), beginning Thursday, promises a stellar lineup of over 200 movies. MAMI patron Tina Ambani speaks to Nandini Raghavendra on what to look forward to at the festival:
It's the 14th edition of MAMI. How has this journey been?
Mumbai is the cradle of Indian cinema - this city has nurtured my own aspirations as a young actor and these strong roots, these unshakeable bonds have nourished my passion for cinema over the years. The festival is an event that has always been dear to my heart.
Which films are you looking forward to watching this year?
It really is a lavish spread this year and every cineaste is spoilt for choice. Personally, I am looking forward to watching the Cannes Golden Palm winner Amour by Michael Haneke, a moving story about ageing and love; the much-awaited Silver Linings Playbook starring Robert De Niro and our very own Anupam Kher, which is the opening film. The screenings of Luchini Viscontti's The Leopard also promise to be fascinating as well as restored films Kalpana by Uday Shankar and Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone.
In fact, the two celebrations - of Italian cinema and the 100 years of Indian cinema - bridge a centenary of filmmaking in both countries. Where else can you see 102-year-old Manoel de Oliviera and Alain Resnais, 90 years young, on the same platform as Kauwboy, the award-winning children's film?
Two restored classics from renowned Italian directors Maciste (1915) and Inferno (1911) are being showcased. How critical is it to restore and preserve world cinema classics?
Cinema is a universal language that is a truly shared wealth. Preserving its heritage is an imperative. At Reliance Mediaworks, too, we undertake major restoration projects of films from across the world. And this year, the festival will feature India's first key panel on restoration and preservation of films with leading speakers from 20th Century Fox, Cineteca Bologna, World Cinema Foundation, Film Foundation and the Motion Pictures Academy Archives.
Do you think we have ignored our language directors at the cost of mainstream Bollywood cinema?
I'd like to emphasise that we are a 'discovery' film festival; with India Gold 2012, the new competition section for Indian films, the platform is the same for both debut directors and renowned filmmakers. In New Faces in Indian Cinema, we feature the 1st and 2nd films of Indian directors; and in Film India Worldwide, we show films that have emerged from the diaspora. This is also, perhaps, the first time that two Indian films have been included in international competition for outstanding content. We offer a level playing field for all cinema never mind where it comes from, what language it is in, or who has made it. That is the bottom line.
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