The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival was inaugurated in Mumbai in a grand opening ceremony yesterday. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Randeep Hooda, Abhishek Bannerjee, Divyendu, Divya Dutta, Indraneil, Upasana Jha, Sourabh Sachdeva, Madhur Bhandarkar, Sonali Kulkarni, Richie Mehta, Chhaya Kadam, Anand L. Rai, Adil Hussain were present at the inauguration.
Delivering his inaugural address, Dr. Murugan said that considering the growing potential of AVG sector in creating employment and generating growth, the government will soon create a Centre for Excellence in AVGC sector in Mumbai. The minister emphasized the government’s efforts in controlling piracy in the country by bringing forth an amendment in the Cinematograph act.
Underlining MIFF’s role in bringing together filmmakers from all over the world, Dr. Murugan said that documentary films play a vital role in showcasing the unique abilities, emotions and human bonds in a true and natural way. He also highlighted the efforts made by India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make our country a content hub of the world.
As part of the opening ceremony, the FTII student short Film ‘Sunflowers were the first ones to know’ was screened. The film won the La Cinef Award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival this year. The V. Shantaram, Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024 was presented to Subbiah Nallamuthu, a renowned, award-winning Wildlife filmmaker.
