Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (October 27 to November 5) will present its Excellence in Cinema Award (South Asia) to Indian film director and producer Mani Ratnam and the Excellence in Cinema Award (International) to Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino during the Opening Night ceremony on Friday, October 27, 2023.
Both directors will attend the festival to receive this prestigious accolade and will conduct Masterclasses at the festival.
The festival will also screen Mani Ratnam’s most recent historical dramas, PONNIYIN SELVAN: PART ONE & TWO, and Luca Guadagnino’s Golden Globe-nominated film, I AM LOVE.
October 25, 2023: Internationally renowned directors Mani Ratnam and Luca Guadagnino will be honoured with the Excellence in Cinema Award in Mumbai on Friday, October 27. The award honours individuals who have made outstanding, long-lasting contributions to the world of film and cinema. Previous recipients include Darren Aronofsky, Sharmila Tagore, Fernando Meirelles, and Chen Kaige.
With a career spanning four decades, Mani Ratnam is one of the most celebrated, well-known, and respected directors from South Asia. Over the decades, his cinema has explored different themes, from the classic love story to political drama to human drama. Mani Ratnam’s films have layered characters and complex themes that are deeply rooted in a cultural and social context. His most notable movies include Mouna Ragam (1986), Nayakan (1987), Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), Iruvar (1997), Alaipayuthey (2000), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Guru (2007), and Ponniyin Selvan (1 & 2). Mani Ratnam is one of the greats, and his cinema continues to be relevant and a conversation starter.
Luca Guadagnino is the auteur filmmaker behind some of the most visceral and visually stunning films of the last two decades, including the Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe-nominated films I Am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015), the Academy Award-winning film Call Me By Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2018), and the feature documentary Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (2020). Bones and All (2022) won Guadagnino the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival 2022. Guadagnino made his TV debut with the HBO drama series We Are Who We Are (2020), which he created, directed, wrote, and produced. His film Challengers starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, will be released in April 2024, and he is currently in post-production for his next feature based on William S. Burroughs’ novel Queer.
Commenting on this, Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, said, “It’s a privilege to award these formidable artists. They have redefined and expanded our ideas of what cinema can be. We look forward to having them at Jio MAMI.”
One of the key highlights of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival this year is going to be the masterclasses by these two veterans. India loves their work, and they are an inspiration for established as well as budding filmmakers across the world.
Notes to editors:
About Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival
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.
The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will take place from Friday, October 27 to Sunday, November 5, 2023, in Mumbai, India. The full programme was announced on Monday, October 9, 2023 and will be published on the website in due course.
Previous recipients of the Excellence in Cinema Award
The list of previous recipients of the Excellence in Cinema Award includes Darren Aronofsky, Shyam Benegal, Chen Kaige, Sharmila Tagore, Jia Zhangke, Sai Paranjpye, Salim-Javed, Amos Gitai and, most recently, Fernando Meirelles and Deepti Naval in 2019.
