The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), organisers of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, has unveiled its carefully curated selection of four emerging cinematic talents for the prestigious MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone initiative. Following the success of the last edition, which was completely shot on iPhone and edited on MacBook Pro, this year’s programme witnessed a significant expansion in the scope and depth of responses, covering diverse parts of the country.
The programme’s selection represents a cross-section of India’s linguistic and cultural diversity, with Amrita Bagchi representing Hindi cinema, Rohin Raveendran Nair chosen for Malayalam cinema, Chanakya Vyas selected for Marathi cinema and Shalini Vijayakumar selected for Tamil cinema.
The selection process, executed with meticulous attention under the stewardship of the Festival Director, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and an exceptional panel of mentors, including the multi-faceted National Award recipient Konkona Sen Sharma, acclaimed Malayalam maverick Lijo Jose Pellissery, distinguished director-producer Vikramaditya Motwane and celebrated Tamil filmmaker Vetri Maaran, employed a comprehensive multi-tiered evaluation framework.
The programme provides comprehensive support through all phases of production, empowering participants in pushing the boundaries of creative storytelling, using cutting-edge technology, including iPhone 16 Pro Max to shoot the films and MacBook Pro to edit the films, complemented by a grant and invaluable mentorship.
The culmination of this initiative will be marked by a premiere screening event in April 2025, featuring the final projects, ranging from 20 to 40 minutes in duration. Subsequently, these works will be made available on MAMI’s YouTube platform, ensuring broad accessibility and audience engagement.
MAMI Festival Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur emphasized the programme’s role in nurturing emerging talent and its vision to catalyze a movement of independent filmmakers who will shape the future of Indian cinema. He shares, “We had a fantastic response to our call for applications. It was amazing to see the beautiful stories and ideas presented by these young filmmakers and especially from different regions of India. This programme is MAMI’s endeavour to support emerging filmmakers and give them a platform to showcase their work. We aim to expand MAMI Select every year so that we can develop a movement of young independent filmmakers who will be the future of Indian cinema.”
Chanakya Vyas who will be mentored by Konkona Sen Sharma states, “I’m thrilled and honoured to be selected for MAMI Select – Filmed on iPhone. It is often a challenge to find support for short films and I’m extremely glad that my script has been selected. I look forward to making the maximum out of this opportunity. I am most excited about being mentored by Konkona Sen Sharma and bringing the film to life using the iPhone16 Pro Max!”
Amrita Bagchi who will be mentored by Vikramaditya Motwane states, “There are very rare opportunities that allow imagination and execution to meet – especially for filmmakers who are starting out. I am thrilled to have this chance to tell a story using technology that is flexible enough for a storyteller to dream big. I hope to learn a lot through this process and also from my mentor – it’s a unique training ground. Incredibly grateful to MAMI for this program!”
Rohin Raveendran Nair will be mentored by Lijo Jose Pellissery states, “It’s so humbling to be given an opportunity to direct a short film, supported by a mentor whose films have given me the courage to dream outside the box. MAMI continues to lead the way in caring and nurturing the next generation of filmmakers. And there couldn’t be a more liberating experience than shooting an entire short film on iPhone 16 Pro Max which has a proven benchmark of great films and short films filmed on it by the masters of cinema.”
Shalini Vijayakumar who will be mentored by Vetri Maaran states, “I’m super kicked about being one of the four filmmakers on this programme. It’s an incredible initiative that opens the door for new, unexplored talent like us. The fact that MAMI has consciously made space for regional talent in regional languages is something I’ll be truly grateful for. What a privilege it is to be given the best resources, the best mentoring and opening up the opportunity to explore newer ways of film making with iPhone 16 Pro Max that too in the language I am most comfortable with. I can’t wait to see what this process holds for me.”
The participants’ testimonials underscore their enthusiasm for working with state-of-the-art technology and learning from industry luminaries, while particularly appreciating MAMI’s commitment to linguistic diversity and regional representation in Indian cinema. This initiative represents a significant step forward in democratizing filmmaking and fostering innovative storytelling approaches across India’s rich cultural landscape.