The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2025 has been cancelled for this year. Reacting to the news, filmmaker Hansal Mehta called it a casualty of apathy dressed as progress
Hansal Mehta
The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival annually takes place in the city in the month of October. The festival, a one of a kind for the city, features critically acclaimed films from across the world, uniting movie buffs. MAMI also accepts submissions from independent makers for competition. However, this year the festival will not be taking place.
MAMI 2025 cancelled
The officials at MAMI announced that the film festival will not be taking place this year. The official statemet signed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Festival Director, stated, "This is to inform you that the 2025 edition of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will not take place as we are in the process of revamping the festival with a dynamic vision and a new team to ensre that the festival retuns as a premier showcase for the best of independent, regionla and classic cinema from Indian and arucn the word. We are working diligently to reschedule the festival and will announce the new dates for the 2026 edition as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and support".
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MAMI was first launched in 1997 and has established itself as a major platform for world cinema in the city. It focuses on South Asian cinema and independent films. The festival now aims to deepen its ties with the city of Mumbai and become more accessible to a wider audience. Talking to Indian Express, Dungarpur said, “We want to make it a people’s event. We are in the city of Mumbai. The festival will reflect that — whether it’s the logo or the way we approach the festival"
Hansal Mehta reacts to MAMI getting cancelled
Hansal Mehta took to his social media handle to share the statement and share his thoughts on the same. The filmmaker pointed out the irony at a city like Mumbai not being able to keep a festival alive.
He wrote, "It’s a cruel irony that Mumbai draped in the glitz of being India’s financial and cinematic capital cannot keep alive a film festival of its own. Abandoned by the self-appointed gatekeepers of cinema who chased shinier stages and safer bets it was left in the hands of a few passionate believers to run on pure faith."
He further wrote, "And now that fragile flame has been snuffed out. No ceremony. No outrage. Just a slow, silent forgetting. What should have been a cultural cornerstone has been reduced to a footnote - another casualty of apathy dressed as progress."
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