MAMI Mumbai Film Festival To Return In 2026 With Revamped Version | Details Inside

Last Updated:July 21, 2025, 12:24 IST

The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will pause in 2025 and return in 2026 with a new format, logo, and vision.

MAMI has been postponed.

After a year marked by structural changes, the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival has announced that it will take a break in 2025 and return in 2026 with a fresh format, redesigned logo, and a reimagined vision. The decision was confirmed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, who took over as Festival Director last year.

Dungarpur shared that the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), the body behind the festival, is undergoing an intensive overhaul aimed at making the event more inclusive and sustainable. “The festival is meant to support independent cinema. There is a genuine feeling that very little is done for independent cinema. There is a thin line between documentary and independent cinema. We don’t want to differentiate between that," he said in an interview with The Indian Express.

Although the 2024 edition of the festival was held in a scaled-down format, hosted across venues like Regal Cinema and PVR Juhu, the absence of long-time sponsor Jio led to new financial constraints. However, Dungarpur clarified that funding was not the sole reason for the upcoming break. “There are some past issues that need to be resolved. We are taking that time to do that. This will help us strengthen the festival. We also aim to find ways where the festival board is more effective and there is better governance of the festival itself," he added.

First launched in 1997, MAMI has established itself as a major platform for world cinema with a strong focus on South Asian and independent films. The festival now aims to deepen its ties with the city of Mumbai and become more accessible to a wider audience. “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," Dungarpur said.

In a public statement, he further assured, “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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