Mumbai, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said at the inaugural ceremony of the 18th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) that documentary films play an important role in truly showcasing human emotions.
Organized biennially by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and executed by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the festival celebrates documentary, short fiction and animation films. MIFF was launched in 1990.
Murugan, who inaugurated the ceremony on Saturday night, said the ministry is focused on transforming the country into "a content hub of the world".
"Mumbai International Film Festival is a celebration of documentary, short and animation films.Documentary films play a vital role in truly showcasing the unique abilities, emotions and human relationships.
He said, "Our India is the hub of content creation. In our India, the tradition of storytelling has been passed down from our grandmothers and mothers. In Kahani, we are choosing content for cinema, novels."
The minister also highlighted the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate a single-window system for film shooting in India.“Our ministry is also giving a platform, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) to offer a single-window system whereby film producers can get various department and state approvals from a single platform. Can get it." So that filmmakers can get easy access and permission to shoot in India.
“The filmmaker's concern is piracy. There are some producers who are selling property and investing it in making cinemas. Recently, our government has brought amendments to the Cinematograph Act to prevent piracy.,
At the inaugural ceremony, renowned wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu was named the recipient of the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, established in the memory of the legendary filmmaker.
Nallamuthu, known for tiger-centric documentaries including "Tiger Dynasty", "Tiger Queen" and "The World's Most Famous Tiger", received a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, a trophy and a citation.
An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the filmmaker rose to fame with his work in "Living on the Edge", India's longest-running award-winning environmental series. His expertise extends to his stint as a high-speed cameraman at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Nallamuthu expressed his gratitude to the government and the jury for the honour.“It has been a long journey. I dedicate this award to my parents and family who supported me,” he said.
Film personalities like Aanand L Rai, Madhur Bhandarkar, Divya Dutta, Randeep Hooda, Abhishek Banerjee, Sonali Kulkarni, Sharad Kelkar, Taha Shah Badusha, Rahul Rawail, Vineet Singh, Avinash Tiwari and Adil Hussain also attended the MIFF inauguration ceremony.
FTII student Chidananda S Naik's short film "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know", which won the first prize in the La Cinef section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival last month, was also screened at the event.
The ceremony featured a cultural performance by a group of Sri Lankan dancers, followed by a mesmerizing performance by Mumbai-based dance troupe Crazy Kings, depicting the history of Indian animation through popular characters like Chhota Bheem and Honey Bunny.MIFF, a seven-day festival, will be held at the Film Division-National Film Development Corporation campus in Mumbai, with parallel events in Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and New Delhi.
A total of 314 films from 59 countries in 61 languages will be screened during this edition of MIFF. It includes eight world premieres, five international premieres, 18 Asia premieres and 21 India premieres.
There will be masterclasses and panel discussions with filmmakers like Santosh Sivan, Audrius Stoinis, Ketan Mehta, Richie Mehta, TS Nagabharan and Georges Schweizgabel.
Organized biennially by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and executed by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the festival celebrates documentary, short fiction and animation films. MIFF was launched in 1990.
Murugan, who inaugurated the ceremony on Saturday night, said the ministry is focused on transforming the country into "a content hub of the world".
"Mumbai International Film Festival is a celebration of documentary, short and animation films.Documentary films play a vital role in truly showcasing the unique abilities, emotions and human relationships.
He said, "Our India is the hub of content creation. In our India, the tradition of storytelling has been passed down from our grandmothers and mothers. In Kahani, we are choosing content for cinema, novels."
The minister also highlighted the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate a single-window system for film shooting in India.“Our ministry is also giving a platform, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) to offer a single-window system whereby film producers can get various department and state approvals from a single platform. Can get it." So that filmmakers can get easy access and permission to shoot in India.
“The filmmaker's concern is piracy. There are some producers who are selling property and investing it in making cinemas. Recently, our government has brought amendments to the Cinematograph Act to prevent piracy.,
At the inaugural ceremony, renowned wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu was named the recipient of the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, established in the memory of the legendary filmmaker.
Nallamuthu, known for tiger-centric documentaries including "Tiger Dynasty", "Tiger Queen" and "The World's Most Famous Tiger", received a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, a trophy and a citation.
An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the filmmaker rose to fame with his work in "Living on the Edge", India's longest-running award-winning environmental series. His expertise extends to his stint as a high-speed cameraman at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Nallamuthu expressed his gratitude to the government and the jury for the honour.“It has been a long journey. I dedicate this award to my parents and family who supported me,” he said.
Film personalities like Aanand L Rai, Madhur Bhandarkar, Divya Dutta, Randeep Hooda, Abhishek Banerjee, Sonali Kulkarni, Sharad Kelkar, Taha Shah Badusha, Rahul Rawail, Vineet Singh, Avinash Tiwari and Adil Hussain also attended the MIFF inauguration ceremony.
FTII student Chidananda S Naik's short film "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know", which won the first prize in the La Cinef section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival last month, was also screened at the event.
The ceremony featured a cultural performance by a group of Sri Lankan dancers, followed by a mesmerizing performance by Mumbai-based dance troupe Crazy Kings, depicting the history of Indian animation through popular characters like Chhota Bheem and Honey Bunny.MIFF, a seven-day festival, will be held at the Film Division-National Film Development Corporation campus in Mumbai, with parallel events in Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and New Delhi.
A total of 314 films from 59 countries in 61 languages will be screened during this edition of MIFF. It includes eight world premieres, five international premieres, 18 Asia premieres and 21 India premieres.
There will be masterclasses and panel discussions with filmmakers like Santosh Sivan, Audrius Stoinis, Ketan Mehta, Richie Mehta, TS Nagabharan and Georges Schweizgabel.
