Photo Flash: First Look at Red Carpet Arrivals at Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival

MUMBAI, OCTOBER 29th, 2015 - Thursday, 29th October, 2015 marked the opening of the Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival With Star India at the iconic Gateway of India. World-renowned filmmakers, talent and Bollywood stars walked the red carpet to celebrate Mumbai's very own film festival. The 7 - Day event from October 29th to November 5th, 2015, will be choc - a - bloc with interactive activities and screenings of phenomenal titles that will capture the interest of every ardent filmgoer.

The special guest of the evening was Honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, who was present in support of the festival.

Red carpet attendees were Mukesh & Nita Ambani, Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Kangana Ranaut , Shabana Azmi, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Zoya Akhtar, Dia Mirza, Aditi Hayadri, Riteish & Genelia Deshmukh, Javed Akhtar, A.R.Rahman, Diana Penty, Anupam & Kiran Kher, Anurag Kashyap, Vikamaditya Motwane, Vidhu Vinod Chopra among others.

Kalki Koechlin opened the event by introducing festival co - chair, Mrs. Neeta Mukesh Ambani, board members and prestigious jury members who took center stage to say a few words.

Mrs. Nita Mukesh Ambani, Festival Co - Chair, said, "Jio MAMI is our humble tribute to the wonderful city of Mumbai that has made Indian cinema famous across the world. Jio is proud to partner with MAMI. As the world enters the digital age, Jio is Reliance's next generation business that brings digital life to all Indians. Jio will reimagine life in a smart, simple and secure way. Cinema too, in many ways, reimagines and mirrors life. With Jio MAMI, we look forward to making Mumbai a global hub for not only Indian cinema but also world cinema."

Kiran Rao, Chairperson, further added, "We are all really excited - the opening night is finally here and it's all systems go! Everyone has worked extremely hard, and we have our fingers crossed that the festival goes without a hitch and is appreciated by all who attend."

Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, expressed," After a year of work, it's overwhelming for us to have our opening at the iconic Gateway of India."

Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India said, "Mumbai Film Festival is one of the foremost destinations for showcasing the diversity and depth of the Indian film industry and is a huge catalyst in promoting young and fresh talent. Both of these objectives resonate very strongly with Star. As India's largest content creators we have a responsibility towards not only assisting this talent in reaching out to larger audiences but providing them with opportunities to mingle with the best creative minds across India and the globe. Our association with MAMI is a step in the same direction. "

The 'International Excellence in Cinema' award was presented to Israeli filmmaker, Amos Gitai for his cinematic contribution. Well - Known for making political documentaries and feature films capturing the Middle - East and Jewish - Arab conflict. Gitai's film 'Kadosh' received the British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign Independent Film in the year 2000.

Writing duo, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar commonly known as Salim - Javed received the 'Excellence in Cinema' award for their outstanding work in Indian cinema. Together they have penned some of Bollywood's most cherished films and blockbuster scripts such as Sholay, Toofan, Zanjeer, Don, Kranti and many more.

The 'MAMI Tribute to Indian Cinema' was awarded to Chetan Anand, film producer, for the enduring impact he left on Indian Cinema. His work in Neecha Nagar, had won him the Best Film award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946. Till today we remember Chetan Anand and his continuing legacy.

Agnes Varda - French Director, screenwriter and actor, received the 'MAMI Tribute to International Cinema'. She had received many such awards and honours at other major festivals like - The Cannes Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, European Film Academy and Palme d'or. Her work as an auteur and storyteller continues to leave an impact on the world of cinema.

Apart from screening exceptional films, the festival has plenty in store. Special activities include:

MUMBAI FILM MART

On Friday, October 30th, the festival will host a 'Mumbai Film Mart' which is a unique space created to bridge the gap between content creators and content platforms.

MOVIE MELA

Jio MAMI with Star India introduces The Movie Mela - a one-day celebration of cinema. On October 31st, when you walk into Mehboob Studio, you will enter a different world - a world of movie characters, movie merchandising, movie books, DVDs and above all, movie conversations.

PLAY

Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival with Star India is going digital with a new section called 'PLAY' which will be held on Sunday, November 1st at 12 noon, PVR Juhu. Digital front-runners like All India Bakchod (AIB), The Viral Fever (TVF), East India Comedy (EIC), SNG Comedy and Aditi Mittal will be showcasing their original content and bringing the house down in this interactive session.

YOUNG ADULT WORKSHOP

On Monday, November 2nd and Tuesday, November 3rd, a 'Young Adult Workshop' will take place under the able guidance of leading filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar and Avinash Arun.

WOMEN IN FILM

Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival with Star India will feature a discussion on 'Women In Film', where leading womenfrom the world of cinema will come together and share their insights and learnings on the experience of being a woman in the field of filmmaking. The panel discussion which will be held on Tuesday,November 3rd at 2 p.m. at PVR Juhu, will see a host of accomplished attendees like Ava DuVernay, Zoya Akhtar, Kiran Rao, Anupama Chopra, Kati Outinen, Jyoti Deshpande, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut and Christina Voros.

The Jio MAMI 17th Mumbai Film Festival with Star India will be held in Mumbai from October 29th to November 5th 2015. The film screenings will take place at PVR Juhu, PVR Citi Mall, Andheri, PVR LP, Phoenix Mills, PVR Ghatkopar and Regal-Colaba. To attend the festival, viewers can register online at http://in.bookmyshow.com/mami/ or visit registration counters at the festival venues listed above.

JIO MAMI VISION 2015

The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is an inclusive movie feast. We showcase the latest cutting-edge, independent cinema - art house fare alongside genre movies from Bollywood and Hollywood and cult international movies. We offer the best of world cinema to the people of Mumbai and we offer the best of Indian cinema to the world. The festival is run by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image popularly known as MAMI. This is a space where we revel in the sheer pleasure of cinema, the joy it gives us and how much it enhances our lives. The goal is to nurture and ignite a passion for movies. We want Jio MAMI to be shorthand for excellence in cinema.

ABOUT JIO MAMI

Mumbai - the financial capital of India is also the epicenter of the Indian film industry. The city plays such a major role in production and dissemination of Indian films and television programmes that it is widely known by its acronym 'Bollywood'. In 1997, a group of film industry stalwarts headed by late Hrishikesh Mukherjee founded the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) as a not-for-profit Trust. Their main objective was to organize an annual International Film Festival which the film industry and the country could be proud of. MAMI has been organizing the festival for the last 16 years and aims to foster a climate of good cinema. MAMI engages people from all walks of life across the city and country who enjoy and love good cinema. It is Mumbai's only film festival that is entirely created and run by film professionals and a group of members from corporate India. Appreciation of good cinema, stripped off all the limiting labels of art and commercial, can only come about through exposure to the best of films the world has to offer. The Festival is the first step in that direction.

In their Mission Statement in 1997, the MAMI Board of Trustees said, "We feel it is the need of the hour to disseminate and inculcate good cinema among Indian audiences. The only way to achieve this is to celebrate cinema by hosting an International Film Festival in Mumbai, India 's film and entertainment capital. MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) is committed to start Mumbai's first independent international film festival organized by practicing film makers."

For more information on MAMI and the upcoming 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival scheduled to be held from 29th October- 5th November 2015, do visit our MAMI Website, Twitter handle, Facebook Page, Instagram and YouTube as follows:

Website: www.mumbaifilmfestival.com #JioMAMIwithStar

Twitter:/mumbaifilmfest

Facebook: /mumbaifilmfestival

Instagram: /mumbaifilmfestival

YouTube: Mumbai Film Festival

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