18th Mumbai International Film Festival from June 15 to 21

NEW DELHI: The 18th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) will be held in Mumbai from June 15 to 21, Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju announced on Friday.

Briefing media at the National Media Centre here, Jaju said the film gala, which showcases non-feature films, will be at the FD-NFDC Complex in Mumbai. Besides, MIFF screenings will also be held in Delhi at the Sirifort Auditorium, Chennai at the Tagore Film Centre, Pune at the NFAI Auditorium, and Kolkata at the SRFTI Auditorium.

A premier international event in the documentary film world, the MIFF has been held once every two years since its inception in 1990. The 2024 edition will open with the screening of National Geographic’s documentary “Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story.”.

The organisers received a record number of 1018 films from 38 countries and across 65 languages for the latest edition

During the festival, 314 films will be screened from 59 countries. The special theme of the festival is ‘India in Amrit Kaal’. A total of 17 films from Japan, Russia, Belarus, Iran, Italy, Vietnam, and Mali will be showcased during the festival. There will be eight world premieres, six international premieres, 17 Asia premieres, and 15 India premieres. Special packages have been curated in this edition, including award-winning film packages from the Oscars and Berlinale. The opening film of the film festival will be “Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story”.

The international jury includes eminent film personalities from across the world, including Keiko Bang, Barthelemy Fougea, Audrius Stonys, Bharat Bala, and Manas Choudhary, who will award the Golden Conch for the best documentary film, the Silver Conch for the best international short fiction film and best animation film, and the Pramod Pati Award for the most innovative or experimental film.

The jury for the national competition includes Adele Seelmann-Eggebert, Dr. Bobby Sarma Baruah, Apoorva Bakshi, Munjal Shroff, and Anna Henckel-Don Nersmarck. They will confer the best Indian documentary, short film, animation, best debut film award, and best student film award, in addition to a host of technical awards and a special award for best short film on “India in Amrit Kaal.”.