18th MIFF Showcases Talented Student Filmmakers with Over 40 Short Films

MIFF continues to be a significant platform for emerging filmmakers, providing them with the opportunity to present their work to a wider audience and gain valuable exposure in the film industry.

The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) has provided a prestigious platform for student filmmakers to showcase their talent to film connoisseurs and enthusiasts. This year, more than 40 short films, representing some of the most successful recent student projects from various film schools across India, along with a selection of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) home productions and a special student film package from Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, Germany, have been selected for screening. These films span various genres, including animation, fiction, and documentary.

The student film package features projects from renowned institutions such as the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Whistling Woods International, K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts (KRNNIVASA), MGR Film and TV Institute, Auroville Film Institute, DLCSUPVA Rohtak, and NID Ahmedabad.

FTII Student Projects:

Pochamma (Marathi) – Directed by Vivek Allaka (2022)

Void & The Blues (English and Malayalam) – Directed by Sisira Anil CK (2023)

Lost In Teleportation (Hindi) – Directed by Tanmay Gemini (2023)

Khalti Kay Varti Kay (Marathi) – Directed by Adheep Das (2023)

Gotho (Konkani) – Directed by Sainath Uskaikar (2023)

Flowering Man (Hindi) – Directed by Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar (2023)

Dump Yard (Marathi) – Directed by Nikhil Shinde (2023)

Champaran Mutton (Hindi & Vajika) – Directed by Ranjan Kumar (2023)

13 TWR (Hindi & Marathi) – Directed by Prashant More

SRFTI Student Projects:

Never Say Die (English) – Documentary by Diya Gambhir

Apaar (Hindi) – Short Fiction by Abison Yumnam

D-Grade Se A-Grade Tak (Hindi-Magahi) – Short Fiction by Aniket Kumar

Gulmohar (Marathi, Hindi, English) – Short Fiction by Digvijay Andhorikar

Proto (English) – Animation by Sovan Dutta

Auroville Film Institute Student Projects:

Mandvi Ki Malam (Hindi) – Short Documentary by Nakul Jain

Echelon Threads – Documentary by Achin Phulre

Sakyad: The Ecological Body – Short Documentary by Shilpika Bordoloi

Whistling Woods International Student Projects:

Nauha (Hindi and Garhwali) – Short Fiction by Pratham Khurana

Ek Aur Baat (Hindi) – Short Fiction by Vamika Sachar

KRNNIVASA Student Projects:

Pardah (Malayalam) – Short Fiction by Laya Chandralekha

The Choosing – Theranjeduppu (Malayalam) – Short Fiction by Jeo Baby

Patterns (Malayalam) – Short Fiction by Raj Govind V

MGR Film and TV Institute Student Projects:

Short Tale (Tamil) – Short Fiction by M.G. Dhanush Vardhanan

Three Piece Light (Tamil) – Short Fiction by Tom Jose

The Final Cut (Tamil) – Short Fiction by Dhanush Raj

NID Ahmedabad Student Projects:

Darya (Marathi) – Drama by Sanju Kadu

Ghanti (Hindi, Sindhi, Gujarati) – Short Fiction by Urmika Wadhwa

NFDC Student Films:

Alam (English) – Directed by Aalok Kumar

Ankuran (English) – Directed by Kabir Naik and Neel Champaneri

La Mer (English) – Directed by Arijit Paul

Odh (English) – Directed by Akhil Lotlikar

Birwa (English) – Directed by Nikhilesh Mishra

The films from Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg have garnered international acclaim and include:

Ash Wednesday (Portuguese) – Directed by Joao Prado and Barbara Santos

Prisoner Outside – Animation by Igor Medvedev and produced by Anne-Kathrin Seemann

Vibrations (German) – Documentary by Cadenza Zhao

Mascarpone (English) – Animation by Jonas Riemer and produced by Johannes Schubert

The Taster (English, Romanian) – Directed by Sophia Bierend

Primitive Times (Chinese) – Animation by Hao Yu and produced by Anne-Kathrin Seemann

Spatzenhirn – Animation by Arun Leander Boudodimos

Stained Skin (English) – Directed by Adam Graf and Mandy Peterat

Eisspin, The Oh So Terrible (German) – Animation by Adrian Doll and produced by Lukas Koll

In And Out (German) – Directed by Jan Oke Jens

Crazy Blood (German, Turkish) – Directed by Can Tanyol

Crust (German) – Directed by Jens Kevin Georg

MIFF continues to be a significant platform for emerging filmmakers, providing them with the opportunity to present their work to a wider audience and gain valuable exposure in the film industry.