Satyajit Rays films to be screened at MIFF-2020

Mumbai, Jan 21 (PTI) Eminent filmmaker Satyajit Rays movies such as "Sukumar Ray", "Rabindranath Tagore", "The Inner Eye" and "Pikoo" will be screened at the upcoming edition of the MIFF film festival here.

The MIFF-2020 (Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction and Animation Films) will kick- start from January 28 and conclude with an award ceremony on February 3, a press release issued by PIB said on Tuesday.

The 16th edition of the biennial festival has received 729 entries in national and 144 in international competition from 24 countries, it said.

According to the release, the MIFF 2020 will have a number of attractions such as a special package of films from the European Union, animation films from Russia, Finland and Balkan, Oscar-nominated films such as "Fauve".

Also, Ireland will showcase its best documentaries in the country focus section.

One of the key features of the week-long festival will be a screening of Rays acclaimed works like "Sukumar Ray", "Rabindranath Tagore", "The Inner Eye" and "Pikoo".

Other highlights include open forum by IDPA, Film Editing workshop by B Lenin, Drone Cinematography workshop by the Indian Institute of Drones, master classes by acclaimed animator Michael Dudok De Wit (Poland), senior film academician Thomas Waugh (Canada).

Added attractions in the MIFF 2020 are Sculpture and Photo Exhibition-cum-demonstration to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and celebration of the centenary of Satyajit Ray.

The MIFF will pay homage to eminent figures from the world of cinema like Mrinal Sen, Ram Mohan, Bhimsain Khurana, VG Samant, Vijaya Mule and Manjira Datta, among others, by screening their select works and also through a specially curated exhibition, the release said.

A mobile app for the MIFF was launched by Smita Vats Sharma, the festival's director and DG, Films Division, in a curtain-raiser press conference held here on Tuesday.

"The MIFF 2020 is going mobile. All information on the festival can be accessed via the mobile app. The MIFF app will facilitate the delegates to network and vote for films too," Sharma said.

She said the MIFF 2020 will facilitate conversations, Q&A sessions and B2B meets between filmmakers and OTT players in a bid to help filmmakers better market their movies.

"The Mumbai International Film Festival is a platform not only for Indian filmmakers but also for filmmakers from across the world," she added.

Sharma said a special award for the best short film on Water Conservation and Climate Change, carrying Rs 1 lakh prize money and a trophy, has been instituted in the current edition of the festival.