Filmmakers Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj and singer Rekha Bhardwaj, flew down to the capital over the weekend to launch Mumbai Academy of Moving Image's (MAMI) Year Round Programme.
The programme was established in Mumbai in 2016 with the belief that it is not enough to have a week-long film festival. The academy now hosts weekly screenings, workshops and conversations for cinephiles and has screened over 40 critically acclaimed films.
In their effort to bring the best and latest films from all over the world to India's capital, film exhibition chain, PVR Cinemas, steered the Delhi edition of the programme. Ajay Bijli, managing director, and Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, joint managing director, of PVR Ltd, officially launched the programme along with board members of MAMI, filmmakers Akhtar, Kashyap, Bhardwaj, and the leaders of MAMI, Anupama Chopra and Smriti Kiran.
Presented as a celebration of global filmmaking culture, the event premiered two films, Wes Anderson's animation film Isle Of Dogs and Ari Aster's thriller drama Hereditary, on 9 and 10 June 2018, ahead of their theatrical release in India. The screenings were held at the newly launched PVR ECX Chanakya, which is the brand-new avatar of the iconic Chanakya cinema.
Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, joint managing director, PVR Ltd commented on the partnership saying, "We are delighted to partner with MAMI and launch a screening event in the national capital, Delhi. Led by Kiran Rao, Anupama Chopra and Smriti Kiran, MAMI has established itself as a premier film festival and is recognized globally as a platform to showcase some of the best cinema in the world.”
Thanking PVR for their support, Chopra said, “I am thrilled that in the 20th year of MAMI, we are stepping out of Mumbai. We hope we can help foster a great cinema culture in Delhi. Thank you PVR for all your support.”
Smriti Kiran, creative director of MAMI echoed Chopra's thoughts and said, “We are so thrilled to get the MAMI Year Round Programme to the film lovers in Delhi! Our commitment is to showcase the best of the cinema for movie lovers and create a strong film culture in the city… We are grateful to PVR Cinemas for being the MAMI champions and partnering with us yet again in our endeavour to nurture audiences and build a cinema viewing culture for the cinephiles in the country. We have big plans for Dilli [Delhi]!"
The MAMI Year Round Programme is a unique event that brings the latest films, workshops and conversation sessions to film lovers throughout the year. Cinephiles can sign up and get free access to the best and latest Indian and international films.