The Jio Mami 18th Mumbai Film Festival With Star is nothing short of a pilgrimage for its regular patrons. If you are not a seasoned trouper, navigating the cinematic terrain of over 180 films from 54 countries in a week’s time may sound galactically impossible. As the festival readies itself for its newest edition, here are a few handy tips to put the logistics of viewing films in perspective. So get organised to make the most of the film fiesta.
Location is key
Identifying geographical clusters sets the stage for convenient viewing.
Cluster 1: South Mumbai - PVR High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel/Regal, Colaba
Cluster 2: Central Mumbai - PVR Market City, Kurla/PVR Mulund West
Cluster 3: Western Suburbs-PVR Citi Mall, Andheri/PVR Icon Infiniti Mall, Andheri/La Reve, Bandra
Though Regal Cinema boasts of the largest seating capacity, it is a single screen theatre. Andheri has more screens as well as the advantage of proximity for Versova’s filmi crowd. It is also the most frequented cluster. So if you really want to catch a film that is evidently the piece-de-resistance of the festival, choose less crowded clusters like Kurla-Mulund one.
The Schedule
Every year actor/writer Kartik Krishnan works his fingers to the bone for the film blog, MoiFightClub to prepare a day-wise schedule (as opposed to the venue-wise schedule) of the festival for those who intend to watch films back-to-back. However, this year the festival has itself decided to do a day-wise schedule for each of the venues. It tells you at one glance the films being screened at each of the spots, at any given time during the fest.
Popular films have more screenings
Check how many times a particular film is going to be screened throughout the festival before booking the film so as not to miss other relevant films with a lesser spread.
Choose homestays over hotels
The film festival draws a lot of people from other cities. If you are one of them, accommodation options like Airbnb and Couchsurfing (Couchsurfing.com is a platform for members to "surf" on couches by staying as a guest at a host's home, host travelers, meet other members, or join an event) can help you save money. Think a sea-facing apartment in Versova for as little as Rs. 2500 per night. Just like MAMI offers a window into other ways of life through the films on view, home rentals can also help you meet interesting locals. Strangers, after all, are friends waiting to happen. Pick a place closer to your preferred venue or pick a venue that is near your lodging.
Share your rides
Shared cab services like Ola Share or Uber Pool are relatively inexpensive and convenient ways to commute to your venue during the festival. Factor in the detours though, as they pick up other passengers in your vicinity. Leave much earlier if you are traveling by Ola Share/ Uber Pool. And if travelling to the town from the suburbs depend on the local. Nothing saves time on a long distance commute like our city’s train network.
Time is of the essence
You are not going to have too much time between films to eat or socialise. Opt for quick meals instead of sit-down lunches. Save the latter to conclude the day. Alongwith a glass of wine, perhaps. Make sartorial choices that help you stay agile. Take that loo break whenever you get it. Air-conditioning and absorbing films can put a lot of pressure on your bladder.
Happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast
Bring only your voracious appetite for cinema to the fest. Breakfast like a champion and eat light lunch to avoid snoozing during a film.
Shoulder bags over backpacks
Fanny packs can be easy targets for pickpockets. Cross-body bags make it easier to pull out those catalogues/schedules to read up on films while running between theatres.
Brave the chills
A week inside a theatre with low temperature and dry air can be injurious to health. Stay hydrated and be sure to bring a light jacket or shawl to keep warm.
Trust Twitter
Social media can be manna from heaven when it comes to sprawling fests. Use the festival’s official hashtag to learn of breaking news in real time #JioMAMIwithStar2016. Also check out the blog www.moifightclub.com for well-informed film recommendations by the passionate film buffs and committed festival patrons.
Power your batteries on the go
Broadcasting your reaction to every film you’ve seen is going to drain your phone battery. You are going to need it to verify your booking status messages. So carry power banks and don’t forget to charge them!
Need for speed
A typical festival day is long. Bookings for the next day open around midnight. Make sure you have good Internet speed to book seats faster, in advance.
Don’t be overambitious with your schedule
You may not be able to watch every film you meticulously planned to view. Be flexible enough to walk into a film you wouldn’t have otherwise. Serendipity can open up a world of underrated wonders. If you are unable to make it in time for your desired film, choose a film from a country that captures your imagination. If the plot is not riveting, the cinematography could reveal details about the lived experiences in another country. The most obscure film can dispense something of interest.
Make time for restful pauses
Festival films can be emotionally exhausting. Traversing between a Greek tragedy and Scandinavian horror or Spanish mise en scène and Sixth Generation Chinese Cinema requires a swift alteration of mental state. Allow yourself time to mindfully absorb some masterpieces even if it means missing the next film. Make notes while you sip on your coffee lest you forget the fascinating insights.
Dipti Kharude is a Mumbai-based freelance writer and MAMI regular
Of Loach, Larrain and a Korean despot…
Vikramaditya Motwane, filmmaker and co-founder of Phantom Films shares his MAMI recommendations with us
He wants to talk as little as possible about his own new film, Trapped , that premieres in the newly introduced Spotlight section at Jio Mami 18th Mumbai Film Festival With Star. Director Vikramaditya Motwane wants to keep the curiosity for his latest directorial venture piqued and hopes that the viewers get to watch it without any expectations. However, what he does tell you is that the film is “different”, that Rajkummar Rao is “terrific” in the lead role and that it is “not a horror film”. Then he tells you some more. That he was shooting the film same time, last year, in October. He shot it in less than two months after it was green-lit. It is largely a one-actor film about a man stuck in a Mumbai apartment. “The release is still three months away and we don’t have a release plan in place yet,” he says. For him the screening at the festival, of which he is also a trustee, will be like testing the waters, a stepping stone towards the eventual commercial release.
Motwane’s association with MAMI started right from the first festival in 1997, when he attended it as a viewer. He remembers catching the films at Y.B. Chavan Pratishthan and G7 multiplex. It was at this festival that he was introduced to Abbas Kiarostami, “I watched Where Is My Friend’s Home at the NCPA.” One of his strongest memories is of viewing Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove and Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa back to back—the first time he saw the films on big screen.
Motwane’s very first film festival was further back in time, the 1994 International Film Festival of India. It was when IFFI used to travel to various cities in India and had dropped anchor in Mumbai: “I remember seeing Pulp Fiction at Sterling.” When it comes to international film festivals he doesn’t consider himself “as bad as Anurag (Kashyap)”, taking a friendly, fun jibe at Kashyap’s proclivity towards OD-ing on international film festivals.
A fan of British director, Ken Loach, Motwane also finds Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain “super talented” and is much excited about viewing Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s documentary The Lovers and the Despot about the South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok and actress Choi Eun-hee who were kidnapped in Hong Kong by North Korean agents, supposedly at the behest of the despot Kim Jong-il, who declared them his personal filmmakers and forced them to make 17 feature films before they could flee.
But it’s not just these three alone. Here is a list of Motwane’s top 10 recommendations at this year’s festival:
1) Werner Herzog’s documentary Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World (USA)
2) Thomas Vinterberg’s The Commune (Denmark)
3) Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s documentary The Lovers and the Despot (UK)
4) Hirokazu Kore-Eda After the Storm (Japan)
5) Pablo Larrain’s Neruda (Chile, Argentina, Spain, France, USA)
6) Konkona Sen Sharma’s A Death In The Gunj (India)
7) Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Swiss Army Man (USA)
8) Na Hong Jin’s The Wailing (South Korea)
9) Alankrita Srivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha (India)
10) Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake (UK, France, Belgium)
