The International Competition lineup for the 21st edition of the Mumbai Film Festival is in. Of 13 features set to screen, eight are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to about 62 percent of the slate. “The section awards films by debutante directors who will contest for the festival’s Golden Gateway Award for best film, which includes a cash prize of $35,700 (2.5 million rupees), the Silver Gateway Award for second best film, which includes a prize of cash prize of $21,400 (1.5 million rupees), and the Special Jury Award, which includes a cash prize of $7,142 (500,000 rupees),” The Hollywood Reporter details.
The program includes offerings such as “Atlantics,” Mati Diop’s drama about star-crossed lovers and the refugee crisis, and “Babyteeth,” Shannon Murphy’s coming-of age story centering on a seriously ill teen who falls for a local drug dealer. The former debuted at Cannes and the latter Venice, where they were among the few titles directed by women featured in the respective fest’s main competitions.
Also screening at Mumbai are Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Sundance winner “Honeyland,” a portrait of a beekeeper living in rural Macedonia, and Melina León’s “Song Without a Name,” a crime thriller about stolen babies in Peru that’s based on a true story.
Check out all of the women-directed and co-directed titles screening in the International Competition below. List adapted from The Hollywood Reporter.
Atlantics, directed by Mati Diop. Young star-crossed lovers battle the odds in this film set in Dakar, Senegal. The film was acquired by Netflix at Cannes where it won the Grand Prix Award followed by its festival run at Toronto, London, New York and San Sebastián. Atlantics is also Senegal’s Oscar entry in the international feature category.
Babyteeth, directed by Shannon Murphy. When seriously ill teenager Milla falls madly in love with small-time drug dealer Moses, it’s her parents’ worst nightmare. But as Milla’s first brush with love brings her a new lust for life, things get messy. The film’s festival play includes Venice and London.
Die Kinder der Toten, directed by Kelly Copper and Pavol Liška. Adapted from Nobel Prize laureate Elfriede Jelinek’s 1995 novel Die Kinder der Toten, the film revolves around doppelgängers, a Nazi widow, a suicidal forester, a family of Syrian poets and the undead in Austria’s Steiermark region. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize, Forum, at Berlin.
Honeyland, directed by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska. A 50-something woman’s quiet life in rural Macedonia is disrupted when an itinerant family installs next door. The film won the World Cinema Documentary grand jury prize at Sundance while its festival run included Moscow, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and Shanghai.
Judy and Punch, directed by Mirrah Foulkes. A mid-17th century town called Seaside is ruined by poverty, neglect, violence and mob rule. Only one glimmer of artistry remains: Punch and Judy’s marionette puppet theatre. The film’s festival run includes Sundance, London, Melbourne, Munich, Sydney, Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival and the Deauville American Film Festival.
Land of Ashes, directed by Sofía Quirós Ubeda. After the sudden disappearance of her only motherly figure, Selva, 13, who lives in a Caribbean coastal town, is the only one left to take care of her grandfather, who doesn’t want to live anymore. The film’s festival run includes Cannes, Munich and Melbourne.
Song Without a Name, directed by Melina León. A stranger-than-fiction tale of stolen babies in 1980s Peru, the film is a Kafka-esque crime thriller inspired by real events. The film played at Cannes and won the CineVision Award at Munich.
System Crasher, directed by Nora Fingscheidt. The psychological drama revolves around a violent, unwanted 9-year-old girl whom child protection services describe as a “system crasher.”
The film won the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer prize at Berlin and played at Cannes and Taipei.
