MAMI mentorship programme returns with Sriram Raghavan, Dibakar Banerjee, Geetu Mohandas, Chaitanya Tamhane as mentors

For its third edition, ‘MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone’ will select four filmmakers from across India, through an open call for entries, to create short films between 20 and 40 minutes in Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam and Marathi. Each filmmaker will receive the iPhone 17 Pro Max to shoot the films, the MacBook Pro to edit the films along with mentorship from the panel of filmmakers.

The completed short films will premiere at a special screening event, followed by their release on the MAMI YouTube channel. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, festival director, MAMI states, “I am delighted to announce the third edition of this programme through which MAMI supports emerging independent filmmakers with technological support, a fantastic cohort of mentors and a platform to showcase their work…I know that there are thousands of passionate filmmakers just waiting for the opportunity to tell their stories and MAMI is committed to enabling them to achieve their dream.”

Commenting on this initiative, Banerjee said, “This is one of the most exciting mentorship roles I’ve ever stepped into. A young filmmaker, an iPhone and sky’s the limit.” Mohandas believes, “Filmmaking isn’t defined by equipment, but by intention, imagination and courage. What excites me most is not just the technical exploration, but the opportunity to witness each filmmaker discover their own voice.”

The call for entries is now open. The deadline for submission is 4th January, 2026, 7 PM IST. Detailed guidelines and application procedures are available on the official MAMI website: http://www.mumbaifilmfestival.com.