MIFF 2024 kicks off with promise of support to filmmakers: ‘The objective is development of films’

The Mumbai International Film Festival, which kicks off today, aims not just to promote documentaries, short films and animation but to “hold a mirror” to social issues, Sanjay Jaju, Secretary for the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said at a press conference on Friday.

“Cricket and cinema occupy our mindspace when it comes to entertainment,” Jaju said at the conference in Mumbai. “This particular event [MIFF] allows us to hold a mirror in front of us and provide opportunities to look at issues that are topical, of socio-economic import and find solutions. The power of these films is not just to entertain us but to inform and inspire us to look at the kind of society we are in.”

The biennial festival’s 18th edition will be inaugurated with a cultural show and a screening of Charlie Hamilton-James’s Billy & Molly, An Otter Love Story, about the relationship between a wild otter and its rescuer.

In all, 314 titles across lengths and filmmaking styles will be screened until June 21. The V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu.

The festival’s focus is on a documentary production market aimed at helping filmmakers understand the intricacies of funding, distribution and marketing. Animation is the other big theme,...

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