MAMI PROFILE

Mumbai - the financial capital of India is also the most important centre of the Indian Film Industry. The city plays such a major role in production and dissemination of Indian films and television programmes that it is widely known by its acronym ‘BOLLYWOOD'.

In 1997, a group of film industry stalwarts headed by late Hrishikesh Mukherjee founded the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image as a not for profit Trust. The main intention was to organize an annual International Film Festival of which the film industry and the country can be proud of.

MAMI aims to foster a climate of good cinema. Appreciation of good cinema, stripped off all the limiting labels of art and commercial, can only come about through exposure to the best of films the world has to offer. The festival is the first step in that direction.



MAMI Board of Trustees clarified in their Mission Statement in 1997, "We feel it is the need of the hour to disseminate and inculcate good cinema among Indian audiences. The only way to achieve this is to celebrate cinema by hosting an international film festival in Mumbai (birth place of Indian Cinema), India's film and entertainment capital. Mumbai Academy of Moving Image is committed to start Mumbai's first independent international film festival organized by practicing film makers."

MAMI is chaired by the internationally renowned Indian filmmaker SHYAM BENEGAL.

The other Trustees of MAMI are:

AMIT KHANNA, producer, lyricist and Chairman of Reliance Entertainment
AMOL PALEKAR, acclaimed actor-director
ASHUTOSH GOWARIKAR (Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film for LAGAAN)
FARHAN AKHTAR, one of the youngest directors who has proved himself in front of the camera too.
JAYA BACHCHAN, acclaimed and award winning actress
KARAN JOHAR, director-producer of some of the most successful films at the box office
SHABANA AZMI, renowned actress who has won acclaim and awards internationally
YASH CHOPRA, producer-director, doyen of the Hindi film industry