Konkona Sen Sharma, Vikramaditya Motwane, Lijo Jose Pellissery and Vetrimaaran to mentor four aspiring directors, as part of MAMI Select
Lijo Jose Pellissery, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vetrimaaran
The future of Indian cinema lies in the hands of young filmmakers. With this thought, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, had rolled out this year’s MAMI Select. After a four-month selection process, four emerging filmmakers have been chosen for its Filmed on iPhone programme—Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024) writer Amrita Bagchi, Black Warrant co-director Rohin Raveendran Nair, playwright Chanakya Vyas, and assistant director Shalini Vijayakumar. They will receive mentorship from Konkona Sen Sharma, Lijo Jose Pellissery, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Vetrimaaran.ADVERTISEMENTAmrita Bagchi, Shalini Vijayakumar, Rohin Raveendran Nair and Chanakya VyasThe selection process involved a nationwide call for applications, where each applicant had to submit a detailed pitch and profile of their work. The selection process was spearheaded by the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Director, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and the respective mentor filmmakers themselves, who chose the four aspiring filmmakers, who have been provided with a grant, an iPhone 16 Pro Max for filming, and a MacBook Pro for editing. In the few weeks, Bagchi, Nair, Vyas and Vijayakumar will each create a short film, ranging between 20 and 40 minutes, with their respective mentor. The final films will premiere at a special screening in April before being released on the festival’s YouTube channel. Dungarpur shares, “This programme is MAMI’s endeavour to support emerging filmmakers and give them a platform to showcase their work.”MAMI Festival Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur emphasised the programme’s role in nurturing emerging talent and its vision to catalyse a movement of independent filmmakers who will shape the future of Indian cinema. He shares, “We had a fantastic response to our call for applications. It was amazing to see the beautiful stories and ideas presented by these young filmmakers and especially from different regions of India. This programme is MAMI’s endeavour to support emerging filmmakers and give them a platform to showcase their work. We aim to expand MAMI Select every year so that we can develop a movement of young independent filmmakers who will be the future of Indian cinema.
Chanakya Vyas who will be mentored by Konkona Sen Sharma says, “I’m thrilled and honoured to be selected for MAMI Select – Filmed on iPhone. It is often a challenge to find support for short films and I’m extremely glad that my script has been selected. I look forward to making the maximum out of this opportunity. I am most excited about being mentored by Konkona Sen Sharma and bringing the film to life using the iPhone16 Pro Max!”
Amrita Bagchi who will be mentored by Vikramaditya Motwane tells us, “There are very rare opportunities that allow imagination and execution to meet – especially for filmmakers who are starting out. I am thrilled to have this chance to tell a story using technology that is flexible enough for a storyteller to dream big. I hope to learn a lot through this process and also from my mentor – it’s a unique training ground. Incredibly grateful to MAMI for this program!”
Rohin Raveendran Nair will be mentored by Lijo Jose Pellissery says, “It’s so humbling to be given an opportunity to direct a short film, supported by a mentor whose films have given me the courage to dream outside the box. MAMI continues to lead the way in caring and nurturing the next generation of filmmakers. And there couldn’t be a more liberating experience than shooting an entire short film on iPhone 16 Pro Max which has a proven benchmark of great films and short films filmed on it by the masters of cinema.”
Shalini Vijayakumar who will be mentored by Vetri Maaran adds, “I’m super kicked about being one of the four filmmakers on this programme. It’s an incredible initiative that opens the door for new, unexplored talent like us. The fact that MAMI has consciously made space for regional talent in regional languages is something I’ll be truly grateful for. What a privilege it is to be given the best resources, the best mentoring and opening up the opportunity to explore newer ways of film making with iPhone 16 Pro Max that too in the language I am most comfortable with. I can’t wait to see what this process holds for me.”
The future of Indian cinema lies in the hands of young filmmakers. With this thought, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, had rolled out this year’s MAMI Select. After a four-month selection process, four emerging filmmakers have been chosen for its Filmed on iPhone programme—Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024) writer Amrita Bagchi, Black Warrant co-director Rohin Raveendran Nair, playwright Chanakya Vyas, and assistant director Shalini Vijayakumar. They will receive mentorship from Konkona Sen Sharma, Lijo Jose Pellissery, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Vetrimaaran.
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Amrita Bagchi, Shalini Vijayakumar, Rohin Raveendran Nair and Chanakya Vyas
The selection process involved a nationwide call for applications, where each applicant had to submit a detailed pitch and profile of their work. The selection process was spearheaded by the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Director, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and the respective mentor filmmakers themselves, who chose the four aspiring filmmakers, who have been provided with a grant, an iPhone 16 Pro Max for filming, and a MacBook Pro for editing. In the few weeks, Bagchi, Nair, Vyas and Vijayakumar will each create a short film, ranging between 20 and 40 minutes, with their respective mentor. The final films will premiere at a special screening in April before being released on the festival’s YouTube channel. Dungarpur shares, “This programme is MAMI’s endeavour to support emerging filmmakers and give them a platform to showcase their work.”
MAMI Festival Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur emphasised the programme’s role in nurturing emerging talent and its vision to catalyse a movement of independent filmmakers who will shape the future of Indian cinema. He shares, “We had a fantastic response to our call for applications. It was amazing to see the beautiful stories and ideas presented by these young filmmakers and especially from different regions of India. This programme is MAMI’s endeavour to support emerging filmmakers and give them a platform to showcase their work. We aim to expand MAMI Select every year so that we can develop a movement of young independent filmmakers who will be the future of Indian cinema.
Chanakya Vyas who will be mentored by Konkona Sen Sharma says, “I’m thrilled and honoured to be selected for MAMI Select – Filmed on iPhone. It is often a challenge to find support for short films and I’m extremely glad that my script has been selected. I look forward to making the maximum out of this opportunity. I am most excited about being mentored by Konkona Sen Sharma and bringing the film to life using the iPhone16 Pro Max!”
Amrita Bagchi who will be mentored by Vikramaditya Motwane tells us, “There are very rare opportunities that allow imagination and execution to meet – especially for filmmakers who are starting out. I am thrilled to have this chance to tell a story using technology that is flexible enough for a storyteller to dream big. I hope to learn a lot through this process and also from my mentor – it’s a unique training ground. Incredibly grateful to MAMI for this program!”
Rohin Raveendran Nair will be mentored by Lijo Jose Pellissery says, “It’s so humbling to be given an opportunity to direct a short film, supported by a mentor whose films have given me the courage to dream outside the box. MAMI continues to lead the way in caring and nurturing the next generation of filmmakers. And there couldn’t be a more liberating experience than shooting an entire short film on iPhone 16 Pro Max which has a proven benchmark of great films and short films filmed on it by the masters of cinema.”
Shalini Vijayakumar who will be mentored by Vetri Maaran adds, “I’m super kicked about being one of the four filmmakers on this programme. It’s an incredible initiative that opens the door for new, unexplored talent like us. The fact that MAMI has consciously made space for regional talent in regional languages is something I’ll be truly grateful for. What a privilege it is to be given the best resources, the best mentoring and opening up the opportunity to explore newer ways of film making with iPhone 16 Pro Max that too in the language I am most comfortable with. I can’t wait to see what this process holds for me.”
