The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival celebrations at our House
As the industry gathered for the five-day event, Soho House Mumbai hosted a line-up of panels, parties and screenings
Wednesday 30 October 2024 By Chloe Lawrance
One of the biggest events in the calendar for the South Asian film industry, the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival took place in the city this month. And Soho House Mumbai was at the heart of the action, with events throughout the festival that included film screenings, celebrations, and Q&As.
Read on to discover what happened at the House throughout the week.
MAMI Mumbai Film Festival opening party
As proceedings kicked off around the city, we hosted an opening party at the House, welcoming members and guests from the film industry, including actors Jim Sarbh and Rana Daggubati, and MAMI director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Alongside cocktails and bites, the evening culminated in a special live performance from Bombay-based electronic duo Madboy/Mink and their band.
Read on to discover what happened at the House throughout the week.
MAMI Mumbai Film Festival opening party
As proceedings kicked off around the city, we hosted an opening party at the House, welcoming members and guests from the film industry, including actors Jim Sarbh and Rana Daggubati, and MAMI director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Alongside cocktails and bites, the evening culminated in a special live performance from Bombay-based electronic duo Madboy/Mink and their band.
South Asia Competition screening: Santosh
The South Asia Competition screening is an important part of MAMI, highlighting some of the most promising filmmakers from South Asia and the South Asian diaspora. The final line-up for this year’s competition featured 11 films – including Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, which was screened at the House. The film showing was followed by an insightful Q&A with actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, who shared a look into their creative processes.
The South Asia Competition screening is an important part of MAMI, highlighting some of the most promising filmmakers from South Asia and the South Asian diaspora. The final line-up for this year’s competition featured 11 films – including Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, which was screened at the House. The film showing was followed by an insightful Q&A with actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, who shared a look into their creative processes.
Girls Will Be Girls: screening and Q&A
Actors-turned-producers - and Soho House members – Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal joined members for a special screening of their debut production Girls Will Be Girls, which won four awards at the festival and was directed by Shuchi Talati. This was followed by an intimate Q&A in the House’s screening room, during which members were able to ask the creative team for their thoughts on everything from setting up a production company to turning an idea into a finished film.
Actors-turned-producers - and Soho House members – Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal joined members for a special screening of their debut production Girls Will Be Girls, which won four awards at the festival and was directed by Shuchi Talati. This was followed by an intimate Q&A in the House’s screening room, during which members were able to ask the creative team for their thoughts on everything from setting up a production company to turning an idea into a finished film.
Changing Lanes panel: festival hit to the box office
Some of the festival’s biggest industry names joined us at the House for a panel exploring the journey from festival acclaim to a box-office smash. How can you capitalise on this as an independent filmmaker and turn it into mainstream success? To answer this question and many more, we were joined by a range of speakers that included actor, producer and Little Lamb Films founder, Bauddhayan Mukherji; filmmaker and Spirit Media founder, Rana Daggubati; producer and distributor, Ranjan Singh; and producer and cofounder of Matchbox Shots, Sarita Patil.
The Deal about Agreements panel: music rights and acquisitions
Be it an original soundtrack, remix of classic melodies or folk songs, in film the legalities around music often dictates the final aesthetics on-screen. For this panel, we welcomed Chandrima Mitra, partner of DSK Legal, and Priyanka Joshi, music rights advisor, who discussed all things music in film, royalties for artists, the sale of music for original and acquired soundtracks, and checks that filmmakers must ensure for final usage of music in their films.
Some of the festival’s biggest industry names joined us at the House for a panel exploring the journey from festival acclaim to a box-office smash. How can you capitalise on this as an independent filmmaker and turn it into mainstream success? To answer this question and many more, we were joined by a range of speakers that included actor, producer and Little Lamb Films founder, Bauddhayan Mukherji; filmmaker and Spirit Media founder, Rana Daggubati; producer and distributor, Ranjan Singh; and producer and cofounder of Matchbox Shots, Sarita Patil.
The Deal about Agreements panel: music rights and acquisitions
Be it an original soundtrack, remix of classic melodies or folk songs, in film the legalities around music often dictates the final aesthetics on-screen. For this panel, we welcomed Chandrima Mitra, partner of DSK Legal, and Priyanka Joshi, music rights advisor, who discussed all things music in film, royalties for artists, the sale of music for original and acquired soundtracks, and checks that filmmakers must ensure for final usage of music in their films.
Going Green, Staying Green panel: sustainable filmmaking
The dialogue about sustainability in film has never been more important, which is why we invited a group of industry experts to the House for a conversation about changing policy and practices in film production. Offering members actionable tips on how to reduce the carbon footprint of productions and drive policy change through storytelling, the panel included Akshay Chowdhary, head of operations at Dharmatic Entertainment; Devika Prabhu, head of business for the Kids and Infotainment Cluster at Disney Kids; Gaurav Bhatia, AVP, legal and commercial at Fremantle India; Shashi Bala, chief of business development at UCCN; and Siddharth Nakai, cofounder of GAME (Greening Advertising, Media and Entertainment). Anupama Mandloi, cofounder and CEO of India GreenSet acted as moderator.
AI panel: easing the production process
From hiring crew and vendors to managing contracts and accounts, AI tools are reshaping how film productions are run. In this session, Sahil Bhatia, cofounder and CEO of SetPro, showcased how filmmakers can leverage AI to optimise their resources at every step of the production process for enhanced creativity, streamlined workflows, and cost efficiency.
The dialogue about sustainability in film has never been more important, which is why we invited a group of industry experts to the House for a conversation about changing policy and practices in film production. Offering members actionable tips on how to reduce the carbon footprint of productions and drive policy change through storytelling, the panel included Akshay Chowdhary, head of operations at Dharmatic Entertainment; Devika Prabhu, head of business for the Kids and Infotainment Cluster at Disney Kids; Gaurav Bhatia, AVP, legal and commercial at Fremantle India; Shashi Bala, chief of business development at UCCN; and Siddharth Nakai, cofounder of GAME (Greening Advertising, Media and Entertainment). Anupama Mandloi, cofounder and CEO of India GreenSet acted as moderator.
AI panel: easing the production process
From hiring crew and vendors to managing contracts and accounts, AI tools are reshaping how film productions are run. In this session, Sahil Bhatia, cofounder and CEO of SetPro, showcased how filmmakers can leverage AI to optimise their resources at every step of the production process for enhanced creativity, streamlined workflows, and cost efficiency.
International Co-productions panel: French collaborations
For this session, panellists discussed how cross-border collaborations can be used to foster new forms of storytelling, while also lifting up talent from different backgrounds and industries. The panel was moderated by Anu Rangachar, head of the international programme at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, and featured Naren Chandavarkar, founder of Moonweave Films; Payal Kapadia, filmmaker of All We Imagine As Light; Ranabir Das, cinematographer and co-producer of All We Imagine As Light; Richa Chadha, producer of Girls Will Be Girls; and Shuchi Talati, filmmaker and producer of Girls Will Be Girls.
Explore Soho House Mumbai and apply for membership
For this session, panellists discussed how cross-border collaborations can be used to foster new forms of storytelling, while also lifting up talent from different backgrounds and industries. The panel was moderated by Anu Rangachar, head of the international programme at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, and featured Naren Chandavarkar, founder of Moonweave Films; Payal Kapadia, filmmaker of All We Imagine As Light; Ranabir Das, cinematographer and co-producer of All We Imagine As Light; Richa Chadha, producer of Girls Will Be Girls; and Shuchi Talati, filmmaker and producer of Girls Will Be Girls.
Explore Soho House Mumbai and apply for membership
