The Mumbai Academy Of Moving Images returns this year with a cinematic lineup of films! Every year since I was a college student in 2018, I have attended MAMI thrice, making this year the fourth run. I’ve made friends, had arguments about plot points and directorial visions with absolute strangers, exchanged letterboxed IDs over IG, and even cried watching some truly magical films, feeling a sense of belonging, and a sense of community that the city has to offer.
Going from an enthusiastic and mostly free college student to an adult with a full time job, I make sure to see at least one film a day. The feel of a fresh kit, shiny ID that I carry in my lunch box to work, nothing screams film-geek Christmas+Diwali like MAMI.
This year, unfortunately MAMI has no title sponsor, as announced on their social media ahead of the festival, and have 2 of the most iconic cinemas for the screenings– Juhu PVR and Regal Colaba from 19th-24th of October.
So I did what we do every year, compiled a list of all the films I intend to catch, keeping up with a theme of watching more queer films this year. And yes, I’ve also made sure to include the dates you can catch them on, because let’s be real, nothing screams adult life like going back and forth on your google calendar.
Here are my picks, you can read through their synopsis on MAMI’s website before booking!
All We Imagine As Light (dir. Payal Kapadia) (Opening Film on 18th)
Starting off with a queer film, and bringing home one of the Cannes’ Grand Prix winners from India this year, we kick-start the fest just right!
Agent Of Happiness (dir. Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó) (19th, 21st, 22nd)
This follows through the filmmakers quest to find happiness, or a speck of it in Bhutan, which invented the Nation Gross Happiness Index! One of the people he encounters is a trans woman, I’m curious to see how her journey and insights on joy and queer joy are!
Girls Will Be Girls (dir. Shuchi Talati) (19th, 20th, 21st)
A queer Indian coming of age and exploring queerness as a teen story? I’m already sat in the theater!
The Shameless (dir.Konstantin Bojanov ) (20th, 22nd)
The iconic film that got India its first Cannes best actor award, all hail Anasuya Sengupta! Need we say more?
The Room Next Door (dir. Pedro Almodóvar) (19th, 23rd)
A Spanish queer-friendship, modern loneliness story with Tilda Swinton? Can’t imagine losing on this after missing the Orlando screenings last year!
Good One (dir. India Donaldson) (19th, 23rd)
Imagine being queer teen, stuck on a weekend trip with your dad and his friend while they are navigating the thorns of their friendship and your dad’s divorce. Sounds like a thrilling ride to be on!
Kill The Jockey (dir. Luis Ortega) (19th, 22nd)
Luis Ortega in his directorial debut has crafted a cross between a crime thriller and absurdist comedy, which also happens to be delightfully queer. Who would want to miss that?
Emilia Pérez (dir. Jacques Audiard) (19th, 23rd)
Starring none other than Selena Gomex, Zoe Saldana with their Cannes’ co-best actor winner, trans actor, Karla Sofia Gascon. Catch this iconic trio, screening at MAMI this year!
Armand (dir. Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel) (20th, 22nd)
The film follows a single mother as her 6-year-old son, Armand, faces accusations of inappropriate behavior with a classmate, Jon, at their elementary school. Despite this complex central premise, the film handles the situation with care, choosing not to place the children in the spotlight.
Viet And Nam (dir. Trương Minh Quý) (20th, 24th)
The film is about two coal miners who were lovers, dreaming of a better life by escaping their lives until a doomed future parts them. And the film has been banned in Vietnam.
My Melbourne (dir. Imtiaz Ali, Kabir Khan, Onir, Rima Das) (22nd October)
What’s better than 1 iconic Indian filmmaker? 2? Nah try 4! And all of them collaborating on telling queer narratives. You better book this one real fast because it will be the first one to be full!
Misericordia (dir. Alain Guiraudie) (22nd, 24th)
A queer thriller, waving on themes of sin, lust, queerness, set in rural France, and as they have described it on MAMI’s website, its, “The result is as delightfully beautiful as it is unhinged.”
Make sure to try catching ’em all this year, but don’t worry even if you don’t. However, stay tuned for some reviews and glimpses that the Gaysi Family will be putting together for you!
