MUMBAI: The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image, better known as MAMI is a public trust that organizes the annual international film festival in Mumbai. It is an event where, as audience, you will get to watch some of the most creative stories and characters on screen.
MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone was launched last year. In the program, a bunch of talented upcoming filmmakers from MAMI Alumni were given the platform to take an unusual route of filmmaking, different from the traditional process of making films. According to this unusual process, the movies were shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max and edited on a MacBook Pro.
After six months, these five shorts were theatrically premiered exclusively that was attended by top talent from the industry such as Vishal Bhardwaj, Vikramaditya Motwane, Rohan Sippy, Shakun Batra, Mouni Roy and Aditi Rao Hydari, to name a few. The short films are now available to stream on MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Youtube channel. Talking about the emerging filmmakers who made the short films, they were Archana Atul Phadke, Faraz Ali, Prateek Vats, Saumyananda Sahi, and Saurav Rai. These new talents were mentored by the some of the finest directors of the Hindi movie industry, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rohan Sippy and Vikramaditya Motwane. Under the guidance of the three stalwarts of Indian cinema, these young filmmakers were encouraged to push the creative boundaries of filmmaking and build strong narratives in a new cinematic format.
Now talking about the short films, we are here with five titles – Crossing Borders, Jal Tu Jalaal Tu, Mirage, A New Life and Obur.
Crossing Borders is directed by Saurav Rai under the mentorship of Rohan Sippy. The film is set on Indo-Nepalese border and the story is based a woman, wife of a martyr, who smuggles goods across the borders. It is a sweet story about how the woman meets two kids, a pair of brother and sister. The scenes shot don’t just look professional but also captures the nature at its best. The sound of the nature is also very soothing.
Tellychakkar rates this short film 3.5/5.
Jal Tu Jalaal Tu is directed by Prateek Vats under the mentorship of Vishal Bhardwaj. The movie is a tribute to Anton Chekhov and is also inspired by Anton Chekhov’s short story ‘The Death of a Government Clerk’. In the short film, we get to see the routine of the system slaves and how they rebel. The movie, with a definite shape of an idea, clearly shows the change in power dynamics and how social hierarchies work. The story is set in a garment factory where an employer gets offended by one of his worker’s behavior. It is interesting to watch what behavior actually offends and how the worker breaks the chain of hierarchy.
Tellychakkar rates this short film 4/5.
Mirage is directed by Archana Atul Phadke under the mentorship of Vikramaditya Motwane. Right from the beginning of the film, you will surely be hooked by the shots taken of the golden sand and the environment. It shows the life of the people who live in deserts. The story is about a boy who is seen indulged in phone and always playing game on it. However, the boy first loses his phone and in search of the phone, he loses his senses too as the game takes over his mind.
Tellychakkar rates this short film 3/5.
A New Life is directed by Saumyananda Sahi under the mentorship of Vikramaditya Motwane. The movie is set in Kolkata and Bengaluru and shows the story of a man who migrates from Kolkata to search for a job in Bengaluru, leaving behind his pregnant wife. However, when things don’t work out in his favor, it eventually leads to a major realization. The director has truly captured some amazing frames and perfect colors that make you wonder if it’s really shot by a smartphone.
Tellychakkar rates this short film 3/5
Obur, directed by Faraz Ali under the mentorship of Rohan Sippy, starts with some of the most eye-pleasing scenes of Kashmir’s snowy white peaks. The story is about a teenage boy who sells off his phone in order to buy meds for his mother but life takes an unfortunate turn as he loses his mother’s memories which were stored on his phone. While the movie will make you eager to see where his trials get him, the conclusion of the movie will give you a feeling of comfort at one second and convey the boy’s disappointment at the other.
Tellychakkar rates this short film 3.5/5.
From the golden sands to the white snowy peaks, from trials of getting into the system of work and searching for a job to breaking the system of hierarchy at workplace, the directors have shown it all and captured the best of the environment. It is surely a treat to watch these short films.
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