Sanal Kumar, Payal Kapadia, Achal Mishra, Irfana Majumdar write open letter to MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

Fifteen filmmakers, including Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Payal Kapadia, Achal Mishra, Irfana Majumdar, Aditya Vikram Sengupta, Faraz Ali and Gurvinder Singh, have banded together to write an open letter to MAMI Mumbai Film Festival chairperson Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the trustees as well as supporters of independent cinema to allow their films to be screened physically instead of virtually.

The letter was shared with Cinestaan.com by one of the filmmakers.

The 22nd edition of the festival, already delayed, was due to be held from 11–15 March as a physical event. However, earlier this month, on 4 February, the filmmakers were informed by the organizers that it had become ‘untenable to hold the festival’ next month because of the ‘continuing pandemic, logistical and financial challenges’.

The disappointed filmmakers, some of whom have been waiting for their films to be premiered at the festival since 2020, are unsure how to move forward. Their letter said, 'Others had turned down multiple other festivals in India in favour of MAMI. Some of us had paid submission fees to MAMI. Most of us were counting on the festival to give our films visibility and a unique opportunity to share them with audiences, the industry and market as most of our films will not get distribution in the way commercial films do.'

The festival has offered "a two-day screening window in February or March” for the films to be viewed digitally. The letter added, 'Most of us opted to include our films in the announcement because of MAMI’s prestige and standing, especially in the Mumbai film industry. The view towards digital screenings was mixed.'

It continued, 'Either way, this offer did not adequately address our concerns with the fate of our films or our feeling of discontent with the manner and timing of this decision. We collectively requested a meeting with the organizers to discuss other ways forward, but this request was ignored. We are extremely disheartened by this.'

The filmmakers want the festival to hold physical screenings of their films even if over a shorter period of time. 'We do not need extravagant organization, awards or ceremonies, but only reasonable slots where audiences across the city can come and watch our films in the theatre,' they said in their letter. 'It has already been a depressing time for filmmakers with so many theatres remaining shut. This would be a great opportunity to turn things around so that we can share our work with the community in the right spirit.'

Many of the selected films, like Payal Kapadia and Ranabir Das's A Night Of Knowing Nothing, Majumdar's Shankar’s Fairies, Sengupta's Once Upon A Time In Calcutta, and Natesh Hegde's Pedro, have all been acclaimed internationally, having been premiered and won awards at festivals like Cannes, Locarno, Venice, Busan, Toronto and The Festival des 3 Continents. Film buffs in India have been eagerly waiting for their national premieres.

The full text of the letter is reproduced below:

We are a group of filmmakers officially selected in the India Story, Spotlight and India Gold sections of the recently cancelled Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2022.

We have come together to send a public appeal to MAMI as well as to all the people of Mumbai — and supporters elsewhere — who care about independent cinema.

As you may know, the Mumbai Film Festival was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic. The 22nd edition, which would normally have taken place in November 2021, was postponed till 11th to 15th March 2022.

On 4th February 2022, we received an email from the organisers of the festival saying that it had become ‘untenable to hold the festival in March,’ citing ‘continuing pandemic, logistical and financial challenges’, This news was a great disappointment to us. Some of us were officially selected in the 2020 edition and had saved our India premieres for two years, waiting for this festival! Others had turned down multiple other festivals in India in favour of MAMI. Some of us had paid submission fees to MAMI. Most of us were counting on the festival to give our films visibility and a unique opportunity to share them with audiences, the industry and market as most of our films will not get distribution in the way commercial films do. None of us has a plan for how to proceed now.

MAMI offered to have our films included in an Official Selection announcement and to be provided a two-day screening window in February or March when our films could be viewed digitally across India. Most of us opted to include our films in the announcement because of MAMI’s prestige and standing, especially in the Mumbai film industry. The view towards digital screenings was mixed. Either way, this offer did not adequately address our concerns with the fate of our films, or our feeling of discontent with the manner and timing of this decision. We collectively requested a meeting with the organisers to discuss other ways forward, but this request was ignored. We are extremely disheartened by this.

All we ask is that MAMI hold physical screenings of our films over a shorter period of time. We do not need extravagant organisation, awards or ceremonies but only reasonable slots where audiences across the city can come and watch our films in the theatre. It has already been a depressing time for filmmakers with so many theatres remaining shut. This would be a great opportunity to turn things around so that we can share our work with the community in the right spirit.

We want to appeal to Priyanka Chopra, the Chairperson, and other Trustees of MAMI, to step up to the plate at this crucial moment and help us keep the spirit of the Mumbai Film Festival — Mumbai’s biggest festival of independent cinema — alive.

We would especially like to appeal to the audiences of MAMI who would be keen to have a physical screening and may join our endeavour to make it happen!

Yours sincerely,

Achal Mishra (Dhuin, India Gold)
Aditya Vikram Sengupta (Once Upon A Time In Calcutta, India Gold)
Faraz Ali (Shoebox, India Story / Spotlight)
Gurvinder Singh (Adh Chanani Raat, India Gold)
Haobam Paban Kumar (Nine Hills One Valley, India Gold)
Himadri Mahesh (Abharkha, India Story / Spotlight)
Irfana Majumdar (Shankar’s Fairies, India Gold)
Natesh Hegde (Pedro, India Gold)
Nithin Lukose (PAKA, Spotlight)
Payal Kapadia & Ranabir Das (A Night Of Knowing Nothing, India Gold)
Prantik Basu (Bela, India Gold)
Rahat Mahajan (Meghdoot, India Gold)
Rahul Jain (Invisible Demons, India Gold)
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan (filmmaker)
Srishti Lakhera & Bhamati Sivapalan (Ek Tha Gaon, India Gold / Spotlight)