MIFF 2016 to showcase 385 top documentaries and short films

MIFF 2016 to showcase 385 top documentaries and short films

 

 

The 14^th edition of Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films, popularly known as MIFF, will be held between January 28 and February 03, 2016.

 

The prestigious biennial event, organized by the Films Division of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and supported by the Government of Maharashtra will feature 30 films in International Competition, including 12 from India and 27 films in National Competition vying for the Golden Conch Award.  The festival will screen a total of 385 films over the 6 day event.   

 

The screenings will be held at the Films Division theatres, Russian Culture Centre and Sophia College theatres at Pedder Road, Mumbai. Screenings will also be held at the Mumbai University auditorium Kalina, Mumbai & Doordashan Kendra (Worli). 

 

Addressing the curtain raiser press conference in Mumbai today, the Festival Director Mukesh Sharma said “started in 1990, MIFF is the oldest and the largest festival of non-feature films in South Asia.”  He said MIFF brings together a talent pool of documentary film makers from the across the world with their works featuring in International, National, Animation and new media competition sections.  We received a record number of 831 entries from 25 countries ".

 

Shri Sharma further said “for the first time, MIFF has roped in a brand ambassador- Jackie Shroff, who regards regards documentaries as catalysts for social change and is planning to make short films to spread awareness about dreaded diseases and on social issues.”

 

Highlighting the importance of documentaries that deal with real life challenges, veteran film maker Mike Pandey stressed on the need for a dedicated documentary channel in the country.  Shri Sharma, said in order to increase the outreach of documentary films, Films Division has signed an agreement with the Prasar Bharati Corporation, under which Films Division’s documentaries will be shown on the DD Bharati Channel.

 

MIFF 2016 : Highlights

The inauguration and closing functions will be held at the Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi at 5.00 pm on 28th January and 03rd February, 2016 respectively.  Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra will be gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest for the opening ceremony. Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting will preside.  Shri Vinod Tawde, Minister for Cultural Affairs of Maharashtra Eminent Filmmaker Shri Shyam Benegal, Shri Sunil Arora, Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Shri Mukesh Sharma, Director General, Films Division & the Brand Ambassador of MIFF 2016 Shri Jackie Shroff would be present.

 

“Apart from International and National competition, screening of  films in MIFF Prism, Indian Premiers, Jury retrospectives, Animation and award winning films  from different countries, Children’s documentary films, North East package, FD and PSBT (Public Service Broadcasting Trust) films, homages etc, making it a wholesome viewing experience for the delegates of MIFF-2016” Shri Sharma said.  The festival also presents special packages from leading international documentary film festivals like Berlin, Dresden, DokLeipzig  from Germany and Leiria from Portugal, he added.

 

Some of the best documentaries of 2015, among them Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi’s “Among the Believers”  a new documentary about the roots of religious extremism in Pakistan and Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Look of Silence”  -a Danish documentary about Indonesian killings of 1965-66 and Rinku Kalsy’s ‘For the Love of a Man’ – a documentary about the cult of adulation for Rajanikant in South India are among the top draws.

 

The International Jury for the Festival comprises prominent documentary makers Don Askarian from Germany,  Jesper Andersen from Denmark, Mathiue Roy of Canada, Siddharth Kak and Gitanjali Rao.  Mike Pandey, Uma DaCunha, Biju Dhanapalan, Audrius Stonys (Lithuania) and Jane Yu (Taiwan) are the members of the National Jury.

 

The festival will also have Master classes by Jury and eminent film makers, Camera and Digital workshops, Producers’ Forum, Panel discussions, Seminar and Open Forum by IDPA, under the MIFF Hub.

 

Cash prizes worth Rs 60 lakhs (Rs 6 million) would be distributed for the winners in various categories along with Golden Conch Awards. In addition the festival will also honour a veteran personality from the Indian documentary fraternity with the esteemed V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award that carries a cash component of Rs. 5 lac, trophy and a citation.