The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival isn’t merely an event to watch films. It is, in many ways, a mirror held up to the face of society, revealing the hidden contours of culture, economics, and the human condition. To understand the significance of MAMI, we must first grasp the interplay between the stories it tells and the city it calls home.

Mumbai is a city of paradoxes, where glamour coexists with poverty, and where centuries-old traditions rub against the relentless push of modernity. MAMI reflects these contrasts, bringing together filmmakers whose works often expose the tensions lurking beneath the surface of everyday life. This edition may be smaller, without a title sponsor, but its essence remains intact: a place where cinema is a conversation, a challenge, and sometimes, a revolution.

Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light opens this year, and it’s a fitting beginning. Her work pulls us into the intimate moments of her characters, three women grappling with the weight of lost love, fragile intimacies, and fleeting hope. What makes this film so captivating is its subtle use of time: stretching a day in peaceful Ratnagiri against the frantic Mumbai. 

At its core, MAMI focuses on voices from South Asia. Take Agent of Happiness, a documentary that plays out like an introspective road trip across Bhutan. The concept of happiness, something Bhutan has famously institutionalized, becomes ironic as the film delves into the loneliness of its subjects. Amber, the central figure, is a government agent tasked with measuring happiness, yet he himself is searching for meaning in a country that feels increasingly disconnected.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sean Baker’s Anora closes the festival with a wildly different story. Baker, known for his focus on those living at the fringes, introduces Ani, a sex worker navigating the slippery line between aspiration and desperation. The plot may seem absurd at first — Ani marries into the family of a Russian oligarch — but beneath the humor and farce lies a searing critique of wealth, privilege, and the illusions we create in the pursuit of happiness. 

But MAMI isn’t just about these big-ticket films. In Kiss Wagon, we follow Isla, a courier girl in a dystopian world where religious dogma and military control clash. This film by Midhun Murali is unpolished, sprawling, and unapologetically weird. Its animation, much of it created with basic tools by a handful of artists, reflects a scrappy, outsider energy that defines true independent cinema. 

In the Gala Premieres, we see films like The Ancient, a slow-burn drama that brings veteran actress Sharmila Tagore back to Bengali cinema. Set in the haunting backdrop of an ancestral home, it unravels the frailty of memory and the inevitable erosion of time. 

While MAMI is a celebration of stories, it’s also about community. Even amidst the challenges, it remains committed to fostering new talent. Though the number of venues and screenings is smaller, the quality and diversity of films are uncompromised. In the Dimensions Mumbai section, young filmmakers explore their city with fresh, creative eyes. Beyond the Horizon, a short film about a bus driver-magician, is both a quirky character study and a tribute to the dual lives so many Mumbaikars lead. 

MAMI’s commitment to preserving cinematic heritage is also on display in its Restored Classics section. Māyā Miriga, a long-lost gem of Odia cinema, returns to the screen after a painstaking restoration. It captures the crumbling joint family structure through the eyes of a patriarch coming to terms with the illusions that have governed his life. 

As the festival comes to a close, one thing is clear: MAMI, much like Mumbai itself, thrives on resilience. In a city where stories are born every second, it continues to be a guiding light, not just for filmmakers but for anyone willing to sit in the dark and let the magic unfold.

The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), has brought the best of cinema to Mumbai since 1997.

Festival dates: October 19 – October 24, 2024

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