Mumbai Film Festival brings world cinema on a platter

The 13th Mumbai Film Festival, beginning next month, offers an extravaganza of 200 films from across the globe for the connoisseurs and will pay tribute to legendary film personalities like Shammi Kapoor, Mani Kaul and M F Hussain, organisers said.
   
An initiative by the Reliance Entertainment and being organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI), the glittering seven-day Mumbai Film Festival will open from October 13, they said.
   
"We are delighted with the response we have been receiving and the support extended to us by the Indian entertainment industry. We hope to be bigger and better this year. The festival aims at showcasing spectacular cinematic works of directors from across the globe. This year the selection committee had a task as they had to choose from over 800 films," Mumbai Film Festival Director Srinivasan Naryanan, told reporters in Mumbai.
   
The film festival will pay tribute to legends like actor Shammi Kapoor, filmmaker Mani Kaul and celebrated artist M F Hussain.
   
"In the loving memory of these legendary personalities who have given so much to the cinema, the festival (will) pay a tribute to them. We would pay homage to these legends by showing some of their works," MAMI chairman and eminent filmmaker Shyam Benegal said.
   
The organisers also said that noted poet-lyricist Gulzar will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the event.
   
The main hub of the festival and screenings will be Cinemax Versova, Cinemax Sion and at Metro Big Cinemas, they said.

The event will open with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt starrer 'Moneyball' while 'Dolphin Tale' of Morgan Freeman will bring the curtains down on the festival.
   
The festival will also screen the best of 'Cannes Critics Week' and the films that have won the National Film Awards spanning the last 50 years.
   
It will also host a special section '4me Rendezvous', in collaboration with Unifrance, Embassy of France in India and Consulate General of France in Mumbai, besides holding a Indo-German script development workshop.
   
The section will screen the best of New French Cinema.
   
Another highlight includes a special screening by the Busan International Film Festival director, Lee Yong Kwan, who will showcase latest Asian Films from Busan.
   
The organisers also said the festival has an esteemedpanel of professionals from the world of marquee as jury members.
   
The jury for the international competition section includes Academy Award nominee director Hugh Hudson (Jury President, International competition), Roger Spottiswoode, acclaimed Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski and young Korean director Na Hong-Jin.
   
Indian filmmaker Basu Chatterjee will be the chairman of the 'Harmony Celebrate Age Jury'. Harmony Celebrate Age aims to encourage filmmakers to look beyond the stereotypes of old age and to look at the positive side of aging.
   
The jury for the 'Dimensions' section of the festival includes young directors such as Kiran Rao who will be the president of the panel comprising Vikramaditya Motwane, Nishikant Kamat, Onir and actress Renuka Shahane.
   
'Dimensions Mumbai' is a short film competition open to Mumbaikars below the age of 25 years where a short film depicting any aspect of life in Mumbai can be submitted.