18th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) Showcases Emerging Talents in Student Filmmaking

The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) has provided a platform for student filmmakers to exhibit their talent to film connoisseurs and enthusiasts. This year, more than 40 short films, representing the most successful recent student projects from various film schools across India, as well as a selection of NFDC home productions and a special student film package from Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, Germany, have been selected for screening. These films span various genres, including animation, fiction, and documentary films.

The student film package includes projects from institutions such as the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Whistling Woods, K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts (KRNNIVASA), MGR Film and TV Institute, Auroville Film Institute, DLCSUPVA Rohtak, and NID Ahmedabad.

The student project films of FTII include:

• Pochamma (Marathi) – A Short fiction directed by Vivek Allaka (2022)
• Void & The Blues (English and Malayalam) – A Documentary directed by Sisira Anil CK (2023)
• Lost In Teleportation (Hindi) – A Short Fiction directed by Tanmay Gemini (2023)
• Khalti Kay Varti Kay (Marathi) – A Documentary directed by Adheep Das (2023)
• Gotho(Konkani) – A Documentary directed by Sainath Uskaikar (2023)
• Flowering Man (Hindi) – A Short Fiction directed by Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar (2023)
• Dump Yard (Marathi) – A Short Fiction directed by Nikhil Shinde (2023)
• Champaran Mutton (Hindi & Vajika) –  A Short Fiction directed by Ranjan Kumar (2023)
• 13 TWR (Hindi & Marathi) – A Short Fiction Directed by Prashant More

The student projects of SRFTI include:

• Never Say Die (English) – Documentary by Diya Gambhir
• Apaar (Hindi) – Short Fiction by Abison Yumnam
• D-Grade Se A-Grade Tak (Hindi-Magahi – Short fiction by Aniket Kumar
• Gulmohar (Marathi, Hindi, English) – Short fiction by Digvijay Andhorikar
• Proto (English) – Animation by Sovan Dutta.

The student projects from Auroville Film Institute are:

• Mandvi Ki Malam (Hindi) – Short documentary by Nakul Jain
• Echelon Threads – Documentary by Achin Phulre
• Sakyad: The ecological body – A short documentary by Shilpika Bordoloi

Student projects from Whistling Woods include:

• Nauha (Hindi and Garhwali) – A short fiction by Pratham Khurana
• Ek Aur Baat (Hindi) – Short Fiction by Vamika Sachar

Student projects from KRNNIVASA:

• Pardah (Malayalam) – Short fiction by Laya Chandralekha
• The Choosing – Theranjeduppu (Malayalam) – Short fiction by Jeo Baby
• Patterns (Malayalam) – Short fiction by Raj Govind V

Student film projects from MGR Film and TV Institute:

• Short Tale (Tamil) – Short fiction by M.G. Dhanush Vardhanan
• Three Piece Light (Tamil) – Short fiction by Tom Jose
• The Final Cut (Tamil) – Short film by Dhanush Raj

Student film projects from NID Ahmedabad:

• Darya (Marathi) – A drama by Sanju Kadu
• Ghanti (Hindi, Sindhi, Gujarati) – Short fiction by Urmika Wadhwa.

The student films produced by National Films Development Corporation (NFDC) to be screened in 18^th MIFF are:

• Alam (English) – Short fiction by SRFTI student Aalok Kumar
• Ankuran (English) – Short fiction by director duo Kabir Naik and Neel Champaneri
• La Mer (English) – Short fiction by SRFTI student Arijit Paul
• Odh (English) – Short fiction by FTII student Akhil Lotlikar
• Birwa (English) – Short fiction by JNU alumnus and SRFTI student Nikhilesh Mishra.          

The films coming from Film Universitat Babelsberg Konrad Wolf have previously made it to different film festivals around the world and won awards and accolades. Some of these films produced by the Film University were in cooperation with German TV or as co-productions. The Babelsberg Package, which are being screened right from Day 1 in 18^th MIFF include:

• Ash Wednesday (Portugese): Short fiction by director-duo Joao Prado and Barbara Santos
• Prisoner Outside: Animation film by Igor Medvedev and produced by Anne-Kathrin Seemann,
• Vibrations (German): Documentary by Cadenza Zhao,
• Mascarpone(English): Animation film by Jonas Riemer and produced by Johannes Schubert
• The Taster (English, Romanian): Short fiction by Sophia Bierend
• Primitive Times (Chinese): Animation film by Hao Yu and produced by Anne-Kathrin Seemann,
• Spatzenhirn: Animation by Arun Leander Boudodimos
• Stained Skin (English): Short fiction by director-duo AdamGraf and Mandy Peterat
• Eisspin, The Oh So Terrible (German): Animation by Adrian Doll and produced by Lukas Koll
• In And Out (German): Short fiction Jan Oke Jens
• Crazy Blood (German, Turkish): Short fiction by director Can Tanyol
• Crust (German): Short fiction by Jens Kevin Georg.