Editor

UK film WHITE LIGHTNIN' wins the INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION for the First Feature Films of Directors with a cash prize of Rs. 50 Lakh ~

LA PIVELLINA (THE LITTLE ONE) wins the Jury Grand Prize along with cash prize Rs. 25 Lakh ~

An incredible end to an exceptional start! The curtain closed on the 11th edition of Mumbai Film Festival organized by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) at Mumbai amidst the who's who of the of Indian and World cinema gracing the closure of the event with their presence. A glittering closing ceremony herald the closure of the 7 day Festival that laid out some real sumptuous fare for film-buffs in Mumbai. MFF is a Reliance Big Entertainment initiative and has the distinction of being the only international film festival in India to be organized by an independent body of practicing film professionals.

MAMI committee led by Chairman Mr. Shyam Benegal and trustees Mr. Yash Copra, Mrs. Jaya Bachchan, Mr. Amit Khanna, Mr. Amol Palekar. Along with the festival jury Members including: renowned Hollywood screenwriter and director Mr. Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and American Gigolo), Sri Lankan filmmaker Mr. Vimukthi Jayasundara, Philippine filmmaker Mr. Brillante Mendoza, Indian filmmaker Mr. Shaji N. Karun and former Director of Locarno Film Festival Ms. Irene Bignardi graced the occasion. Also present were Mr. Anil and Tina Ambani, Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Mr & Mrs Theo Angelopoulos. The evening was hosted by Kunal Kholi & Shefali Shah adding colour to the exciting evening were performances by singers Anushka Manchanda Kunal Ganjawala.

"This Festival brought together some of the best cinematic talent from across the globe," says Mr. Shyam Benegal, chairperson of MAMI. "We watched some very well-crafted films covering a range of thematics and issues."

Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award for completing 40 years in the film industry. His oeuvre comprises from rib-tickling comedies to tear-jerkers to subtle, nuanced performances in art-house films. It can be said without doubt that there is nothing in acting that Mr. Bachchan hasn't tried his hand at and succeeded. Mr. Theo Angelopoulos, the maestro from Greece receive the International Lifetime Achievement award for giving us thought-provoking and visually appealing cinema. His distinctive style and work has influenced a number of your filmmakers. Mr. Dev Anand's production house Navketan Films was facilitated for completing 60 golden years in the film industry.

Speaking about this award section Mr Jyoti Narain, Director, P 7 News Channel, said, "We at P7 are very happy and honoured to be part of the 11th Mumbai Film Festival. In order to celebrate the choice of the viewers, the P7 Audience Choice Award (ACA) has been introduced. The audience alone is the real judge of a film and we wanted to give this platform to our audience to choose a film which they feel deserved an award."

As a modest first step towards setting up a full-fledged "Film Market," MFF introduced the Film Business Centre to provide a networking platform for Indian distributors, producers, television channels, foreign sales agents, and festival directors to enhance the international sales of Indian films. The festival was buzzing with International buyers/ sales agent, international film festival delegates from across the globe attended the festival as part of the Film Business Centre during the 11th Mumbai Film Festival. Sales agents from companies such as UniFrance, UK Film Council, Pioniwa Film Co. - Japan, Channel Asia - Japan, Hanway Films -France amongst many others were also present. International film festival delegates include Rada Sesic, Rotterdam Film Festival, TOM LUDDY & Gary Meyer, Co-Director Telluride FF, Marit Capla, director Goteborg International Film Festival. Film institute's includes the UniFrance, UK Film Council & Danish Film Institute.