For the love of film

The Mumbai Film Festival, which starts on October 18, this year, hopes to get a bigger draw as it promises a lot more for film lovers with new sections like the history of Italian cinema and films from Afghanistan. Being one of the most looked forward to events in film history, this year the festival is bringing down over 200 films for the Mumbai audience.

A still from the film On The Road

What's new?
A new feature, which has garnered a lot of interest in the festival, this year, is the competitive section on Indian films titled India Gold 2012. It will see 13 Indian language films of debut directors compete for prize money of approximately $31,000. The total prize money in this year's festival is $2,20,000 and some of the other competitive sections at the festival include International Competition', ‘Celebrate Age' and ‘Dimensions Mumbai'.

There has been a lot of anticipation on the films being screened at this year's festival; very recent, prestigious films will be screened at the festival. On the Road, a film by Walter Salles, which includes Kristen Stewart and Rust and Bone by Jacques Audiard are being highly looked forward to. While On The Road is a story about a young writer whose life is shaken and ultimately redefined by the arrival of a free-spirited, fearless Westerner, and his girl, Rust and Bone is the story of a young man who is homeless and entrusted to take care of his five-year old son.

Movie magic
For Hindi film lovers, a package of restored Indian silent films accompanied by live orchestra will be screened at the festival. Classics such as Kaliya Mardan, Raja Harishchandra, Marthand Varma, Throw Of Dice, Sati Savitri, Jamai Babu, Galliant Heart and a few others are included in this section.

Apart from this, the festival will screen a package of films from Afghanistan titled Kabul Fresh - New Voices in Afghan Cinema and a special package tracing the history of Italian cinema, in addition to the screening of the best of contemporary French films in the section, Rendez-vous with French Cinema.

As part of the festival, a panel discussion on the restoration and preservation of films with guests from the World Cinema Foundation, Film foundation, Twentieth Century Fox Archives and Academy Film Archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will also be held.

From: October 18 to 25
At: NCPA, Nariman Point, Inox, Nariman Point, Liberty Cinemas, Marine Lines, Cinemax, Andheri and Cinemax; Sion.