Our Picks from MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024

All We Imagine is Light
India’s Cannes winner and the opening film of MAMI, All We Imagine is Light is a visually stunning exploration of the interplay between light and shadow, weaving a captivating narrative through its masterful cinematography and evocative storytelling. This thought-provoking film invites audiences to ponder the profound impact of illumination on the human experience.
 
Anora
The closing film of the festival is Anora, was the recipient of the 2024 Palme d’Or at Cannes and talks about the marginalized individuals in society. The movie chronicles the life of Ani, a Brooklyn-based sex worker who weds the offspring of a prosperous Russian oligarch, only to confront a series of increasingly intense events that challenge her aspirations for a brighter future.
 
Girls will be Girls
Backed by Richa Chaddha and Ali Fazal’s creators’ lab, Pushing Buttons Studios, Girls will be Girls, is a coming- of-age story that explores female sexuality and rebellion in a conservative and traditional school setting in India. The film is inspired by the filmmaker, Shuchi Talati’s own experiences as a teenager in the 90s, when she attended a school where, ‘we were not really allowed to date or hold hands or even talk too much’. She also remembers how the liberalisation of the economy and media brought about a cultural shift, where young girls started to wear ‘jeans and shorts and miniskirts’ as a way of expressing themselves and defying the norms. Shuchi wanted to write a story that reflected this period of change and challenge, as well as her own interest in writing about female sexuality, in a non-judgmental and realistic way.
 
Nocturnes
In the heart of the Eastern Himalayas, a team of dedicated scientists embark on a nightly ritual, to set up a screen to attract moths. This seemingly simple act has unfolded into a mesmerizing documentary called Nocturnes that captures the beauty and rhythm of nature for which it was awarded the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Craft at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Inspired by classical music, the film explores the repetitive yet varied process of scientific fieldwork, revealing new insights each night. Through immersive soundscapes and patient observation, Nocturnes invites viewers to reconnect with the peaceful, contemplative world of the forest, providing a stark contrast to the chaos of urban life.
 
Santosh
A newly widowed Santosh inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India as part of a government scheme. When a young Dalit girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic Inspector Sharma. A riveting crime drama, Sandhya Suri’s feature debut bursts the bubble of the Indian feminist police fantasy with formidable intellect and urgency. 
 
The Fable
Shot on film (16 MM) in Uttarakhand and set in 1989, the film follows the journey of Dev (Manoj Bajpayee) who discovers mysteriously burnt trees in his sprawling estate of fruit orchards nestled in the Indian Himalayas. Despite all efforts, more fires break out, leading him to see himself and his family for who they truly are. The Indo-US co-production boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, debutant Hiral Sidhu, child actor Awan Pookot and a special appearance by Tillotama Shome. The Fable is Raam Reddy's second feature, following the success of his internationally acclaimed and National Award-winning debut film 'Thithi' (2016) which garnered critical acclaim and commercial success, winning over 20 international awards and securing worldwide rights with Netflix.

The Shameless
In northern India, Renuka flees a Delhi brothel after fatally injuring a policeman and seeks shelter in a community of sex workers. It's there that she encounters Devika, a timid young woman facing a future in prostitution. Their connection blossoms into a forbidden love as they confront societal and familial challenges while striving for liberation.
 
In Retreat
Maisam Ali’s debut Ladakhi feature In Retreat to have its Asia Premiere at the 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in the Asian Windows section. The festival will be held from October 2 to 11. The film World Premiered at the prestigious 77th Cannes International Film Festival in the ACID Cannes sidebar programme. Scripting history, it is the first Indian film to be screened in the section run by the Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema, since its inception in 1993. The 75-minute slow-burn drama follows a man in his 50s, missing his brother's funeral, who returns home to a small mountain town in the late fall. He lingers at the threshold, delaying his arrival one more night.

Despatch
Doing its Gala Premiere at the festival, Despatch is a story of a naïve journalist whose life and job are hit by a mid-life crisis. Nothiong seems to be working for him until one day he is caught into a complex nexus of a political-criminal scam that takes his life by a storm. This is the third feature of one of our favourite filmmakers, Kanu Behl and promises to be a gripping narrative.
 

Shambhala is a drama film directed by Min Bahadur Bham, featuring a screenplay co-written by Bham and Abinash Bikram Shah. The film was also featured at the Berlin International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. Set in a polyandrous village in Nepal, the story follows Pema, a newlywed woman who is heavily pregnant and striving to make the best of her situation. However, her life takes a turn when her first husband, Tashi, disappears while traveling to Lhasa. Words Platform Desk
Date 15.10.2024