Due to the continuing global coronavirus crisis, and uncertainty over the reopening of cinemas in Mumbai, the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) has pushed the 22nd Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival to 2021. The festival will, however, be releasing its official selection of Indian films for the year later in August.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to postpone the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2020 to next year. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to keep our communities safe during this crisis. We are humbled and grateful for the special place that the festival has carved for itself in Mumbai’s cultural landscape. We promise that the festival will come back with fullness in spirit and enthusiasm for our beloved city of Mumbai,” said Isha Ambani (Board of Trustees, MAMI).
“The world is grappling with a global calamity. 2020 is about survival, introspection and humility. We have decided to prioritise healing this year and hold the festival in its full splendour next year. We will focus and put our might behind our Year Round Programme’s digital imprint that has already created a stir with Dial M For Films and MAMI YRP Home Theatre. As we carve the path ahead, we would like to thank our partners, sponsors, collaborators and the filmmaking community for standing by us. Our endeavour will be to support them as much as we can in getting through this dark time,” said Anupama Chopra (Festival Director).
In its statement, the organization stressed that the postponement of the upcoming edition of the festival, however, doesn’t signal any flagging in the academy’s (MAMI) constant effort to galvanise the industry, curate the best Indian cinema and bring them to the widest possible audience.
“There is absolutely no denying that the pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to independent films and filmmakers, and there is no digital experience that can replicate a physical festival. But this unfortunate predicament has also come with its own share of opportunities. In the last three months, MAMI has adapted to shifting realities and pivoted to focussed programming online with a two-pronged aim. First, to serve the community of film lovers that have relied on MAMI
to bring them the best films from all over the world and the second, to continue to provide filmmakers with a platform to showcase their films. Our online knowledge series, Dial M For Films has received staggering love. We will be taking both the academy and Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival’s key initiatives online and work towards strengthening and exploring a new frontier for MAMI opened by the digital format that is not confined by geography. We stay committed to the independent filmmaking community and our audience. We will continue to nurture the community, serve our
audience and expand our footprint by adding more extensions to our digital arm and creating valuefor filmmakers who are already at a loss this year,” said Smriti Kiran (Artistic Director, MAMI and Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival).
An announcement regarding the dates of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in 2021 will be made soon.