Mumbai film festival to begin on Oct. 29

Mumbai, Oct 21 (ANI): The 11th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), beginning October 29 will screen 200 films from 56 countries.

The Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) committee comprising veteran Bollywood producer-cum-director Yash Chopra, Amit Khanna, actor Shabana Azmi and actor-turned-director Amol Palekar unveiled the line-up for the 11th annual Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) here on Tuesday.

Yash Chopra said he hoped the Mumbai Film Festival would compare with Cannes and Berlin in the future.

"The festival has come to such a level that today you can say that it's really of international level. But every festival takes its own time. Take for example Cannes, Berlin, all these festivals took considerable amount of time and if we look at our festival...It will take its time but I strongly believe that with all the best intentions of the people behind the festival, who are helping monetarily, creatively, the festival will gain a higher position in the next five to six years," he added.

Best debutant film director would be given 150,000 US dollars, a whopping sum by Indian standards.

"The quality of films that we have got in this festival are really remarkable. We are giving 150,000 dollars to the Best Debutant Film Director because we really want the Mumbai Film Festival, to become a showcase piece for the young and the new and the innovative," said Shabana Azmi.

Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant", a dark political comedy based on true events, will open the MFF. (ANI)