The 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival concluded with a vibrant closing ceremony at PVR INOX, Juhu, showcasing outstanding talent and creativity in cinema from around the world. The highlight of the evening was Amit Dutta’s film Rhythm of a Flower (Phool Ka Chand), which won the coveted Golden Gateway Award. The Silver Gateway Award was awarded to Nocturnes, co-directed by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan.

This year's festival was notable for its remarkable diversity, featuring over 110 films from more than 45 countries. Attendees were treated to 20 world premieres, over 25 Asia premieres, and more than 35 South Asia premieres, making it one of the festival’s most varied events in history.

During the ceremony, the South Asia Competition jury, led by Rada Sesic and comprising members such as Clarence Tsui and Kate Laurie, recognized Rhythm of a Flower and Nocturnes as the standout films of the festival. The Special Jury Prize was awarded to The Fable, starring Manoj Bajpayee and directed by Raam Reddy.

Girls Will Be Girls, produced by actors Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, received a Special Mention and was also honored with the NETPAC Award and the Film Critics Guild Gender Sensitivity Award. This recognition highlighted its role in challenging traditional gender stereotypes and promoting nuanced storytelling. The film also garnered the Rashid Irani Young Critics Choice Award.

While accepting the award for Girls Will Be Girls, Richa Chadha expressed her gratitude, emphasizing the importance of artistic freedom. “This will always be an Indian film, even if it's an international co-production. Kudos to the MAMI Film Festival for pulling it off,” she said. Ali Fazal reflected on the learning experience he and Chadha gained from the filmmaking process, praising first-time director Shuchi Talati for her work.

Talati shared her thoughts on the film's success, noting that the audience's love was a significant takeaway from their screenings, regardless of genre distinctions in filmmaking.

In the festival's sidebar section, Dimensions Mumbai, the Gold Award went to BMCLD by Shreela Agarwal, while the Silver Award was jointly awarded to A Tale of Two Cities by Sameeha Sabnis and I Was Painted Red by Bhagyesh Rajeshirke. The jury for this segment included Amit Masurkar and Chaitanya Tamhane.

The awards for the Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films segment saw Ade (On A Sunday) by Theja Rio winning Best Film, with the Special Jury Prize going to Coming Back to Life (Et Moi, Je Revis) by Mantra Watsa for outstanding achievement in short filmmaking.

Additionally, the festival acknowledged Mukesh Manjunath’s The Age of Heroes: The Incredible World of Telugu Cinema with the Best Book on Cinema award.

Following the awards ceremony, attendees enjoyed the South Asia premiere screening of Sean Baker’s Anora, which previously won the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

MAMI 2024, Mumbai Film Festival, Rhythm of a Flower, Nocturnes, Amit Dutta, film awards, cinema, South Asia, gender sensitivity in film, movie premieres

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