The 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) will begin today. The formal opening ceremony will be held at Mumbai’s Ravindra Natya Mandir in the evening, whereas the screenings of films will begin in the morning. This year, the Competition Section comprises 144 films, including 52 international and 92 national entries, representing filmmakers from 13 countries, whereas the non competition section will feature a total of 202 films, including 106 international titles and 96 national films from 46 participating countries.
The event will open with the animated work ‘Good Luck to You All’, directed by Cordell Barker, the short fiction ‘Agapito’, directed by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero, and the documentary ‘Time and Water’, directed by Sara Dosa. Master filmmaker David Attenborough will be honoured with the screening of his two films under ‘Centenary Tribute’. The 19th MIFF will also feature 10 masterclasses and five open forum discussions. This year’s edition has also introduced 2 newly curated sections- ‘Marathi Films’ and ‘Echoes from Northeast’. The Waves Doc Bazar section will feature a total of 155 entries this year, alongside 5 projects in the ‘Work in Progress’ Lab and 12 films under Film Bazaar Recommends, with the Viewing Room hosting all 155 films for industry access and evaluation. The section will also facilitate robust B2B networking opportunities. For the first time, MIFF will host an AI Cinema Hackathon titled “Mumbai Through a Thousand Eyes”, a 48-hour global filmmaking challenge exploring AI-driven storytelling. The festival will confer 18 awards across international and national competition categories, carrying a total prize money of ₹45 lakh along with trophies and certificates.
