The 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation films (MIFF-2022) began with a colorful opening ceremony at the Nehru Centre, Worli in Mumbai today (29th May, 2022).
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated the seven-day festival organized by the Films Division of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
To promote wider participation, MIFF 2022 has been organized in hybrid mode, and online viewing of films is free for all those who register at https://miff.in, said the Festival Director Ravindra Bhakar.
In commemoration of Bangladesh’s 50 years of Independence the country has been chosen as the ‘Country of Focus’ this year. A special package of 11 films from Bangladesh including the critically acclaimed film ‘Hasina- A Daughter’s Tale’ will be presented at MIFF 2022.
At the opening ceremony, the coveted Dr. V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon veteran documentary film maker and author Sanjit Nerdwear, for his contribution to films through his writings especially film history and the documentary film movement.
Narwekar has written and edited more than 20 books on cinema, including ‘Marathi Cinema in Retrospect’, which won him the Swarna Kamal at the National Film Awards. The V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs (Rs 1 million), Golden Conch and a citation.
This award is instituted in memory of legendary filmmaker V Shantaram, who was closely associated with Films Division as Honorary Chief Producer during the 1950s.
Manipuri documentary film ‘Meiram – The Fireline (33 mins)’, Animation film from France, ‘Castaway’ (6 mins) and short fiction film from Japan Shabu-Shabu Spirit (10 mins) opened the 17th edition of MIFF.
This edition will offer around 400 films that have reached the festival from across the world. Out of these, 102 films will be screened under the Competition Category – 35 in international competition and 67 in national competition. The screenings will be held at the state-of-the-art auditoriums (auditoria) located in the Films Division complex on Pedder Road.
