Rana Daggubati Shares Heartfelt Passion For Independent Filmmakers, Says 'We Have A Certain Audience That Is Extremely Evolved...'

New Delhi: Critically-acclaimed actor, and producer Rana Daggubati also holds the position of a  Board of Director for the Jio MAMI Film Festival 2023. In his endeavour to support independent filmmakers, Rana Daggubati believes that film festivals are a great opportunity to showcase new cinematic voices and tell stories that otherwise find it very difficult to find a platform in the mainline ecosystem. 

Filmmaker and entrepreneur Rana Daggubati is involved in creating the best in media-tech to elevate the overall cinematic experience. Thus, creating a natural synergy with Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival’s larger vision. 

Commenting on this, Rana Daggubati said, "Till a few years ago, an independent filmmaker would struggle to reach an audience. Not just that, even a big regional language film would run its course across screens in a specific region, and the filmmaker would be satisfied with that limited reach. Today, the world has changed, and we have a certain audience that is extremely evolved and aware and is ready to watch cinema from different parts of the world. This is a very interesting time for a film festival like ours. Unlike the west, South Asia lacks a vibrant film festival culture, and we are confident that Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, with its new vision, will change that narrative and help in building an ecosystem that will allow an independent filmmaker sitting in any part of South Asia to showcase their talent on a larger screen to the right audience. We aspire to empower creative filmmakers with a network of like-minded experts, leading to interesting collaborations beyond borders."

Film festivals are a great distribution platform for independent filmmakers. To support the same cause, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is back with an on-ground edition after 3 years with a new vision to host the world’s biggest and most prestigious South Asian Film Festival. The festival is focused on building an ecosystem for new cinematic voices, facilitating the exchange of ideas, collaborations, and business opportunities, while bringing the best of world cinema to Mumbai. Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 aims to be a melting pot of top cinematic talent from across the world. 

Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), has brought the best of contemporary world cinema and talent to the city of Mumbai, since 1997. With its new expanded vision to spotlight South Asian and South Asian diaspora filmmakers, Jio MAMI becomes the Hub for South Asia, discovering and connecting emerging talent to the worldwide festival ecosystem.

Along with celebrating cinematic excellence and bringing joy to our audiences, we aim to facilitate the exchange of ideas and provide easy access to information related to filmmaking, funding, film distribution, business opportunities, and strategic marketing support for films and filmmakers. The festival also conducts a robust Year-Round Programme that acts as a hub for creators and cinephiles through screenings, networking opportunities, access to labs and workshops for skill development, masterclasses, and, very importantly, creating a community of cinema lovers.