Twenty Mumbai college students adept with movie review skills and nurtured by German film critic Daniel Kothen Schulte to give away “Mumbai Young Critics Jury Award”

Amol Gupte meets the Young Critics at MET, Bandra

Mumbai, October 27, 2009: The 11th Mumbai Film Festival (Oct 29 to Nov 5) just got younger! When the youngest country in the world- India, hosts a film festival in its film capital- Mumbai, it is bound to draw attention of the youth. Organized by Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) and an initiative by Reliance Big Entertainment, MFF is the only international film festival in India to be organized by an independent body of practicing film professionals.

Committed to nurturing young talent, this year MFF introduced the Mumbai Young Critics which is comprised of 20 pre-selected Mumbai college students who will form a jury and vote for films to receive the Mumbai Young Critics Award and the Silver Gateway of India Trophy.    

Shyam Benegal, the chair-person of MAMI says, “MAMI is taking initiatives such as Mumbai Young Critics to encourage the youth and give them exposure and an opportunity on a platform which exhibits the best cinema from around the world in India.”    

Commenting on this occasion, the multifaceted Amol Gupte Said, “The Mumbai Film Festival has taken a very good initiative of nurturing young talent through Mumbai Young Critics am pleased to have met these young and enthusiastic young ones today and I wish them the very best for their stint at the 11th Mumbai Film Festival”.

Mumbai Young Critics have been shortlisted from media colleges of Mumbai by Film critic Rashid Irani and film scholar and Professor Ashok Rane basis their reviews for international films Lemming and Mishima . These young critics will now be mentored by noted independent German critic Daniel Kothen Schulte over a period of three days from 26- 28 October to form the Mumbai Young Critics Jury.  This jury will watch and review the movies at the MFF on various parameters to select the best film of their choice which will be entitled to receive the Mumbai Young Critics Jury Award and the Silver Gateway of India Trophy at MFF.

Bubbling with energy and endowed with talent these 20 young students are raring to go at the 11 th Mumbai Film Festival.

Brand alliances for the festival include BIG FM 92.7, bollywoodhungama.com, Bigoye.com, Bigflix.com, BIG Cinemas, Fun Cinemas, BIG Events, BIGAdda.com, Reliance MediaWorks, Kingfisher Premium, Block Dog, Reliance Tech Services, Reliance Broadband, Jet airways, Sun-N Sand Hotel, Carzonrent, Bright Outdoor and p7 News.

About MAMI:

Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), a body comprising of Indian film industry stalwarts was founded in 1997 by late filmmaker Shri Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Noted filmmaker Shri Shyam Benegal heads the body that comprises film directors Yash Chopra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Karan Johar, renowned actresses Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan, actor-director Amol Palekar and Farhan Akhtar and the chairman of Reliance Big Entertainment Amit Khanna as Trustees. For more information please log on to www.mumbaifilmfest.com .

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