We present a list of 5 Short Films you cannot miss at the 18th Mumbai Film Festival that will take place from October 20th – 27th in Mumbai, India.

Ajeeb dastaan hai yeh… by Tabu Kaariya – India | 2016 – 5 min.
Fiction | Section: Dimensions Mumbai

The film depicts the regular life of a regular man who lives with his wife and kid. Things seem fine until he reveals his real feelings. He loves them, he is there for them, as he will always be, but can he do anything about the guilt he suffers from because he has committed a secret wrong?

Director’s Note:
This film is a take on the majority of Mumbai’s population, middle class. This is possibly on every middle class man’s mind who over exerts himself to make ends meet. The inevitable feeling of need, frustration and love is the core of this film.

Bombai by Yashwardhan Goswami – India | 2016 – 5 min.
Documentary | Dimensions Mumbai

We often hear people being vocal about how the local train has served them, but do we ever know what a local train might think or feel like? The film’s protagonist, Bombai, is a local train, who talks about how this city has changed and how it has affected the lives of people and especially the local. It also talks about her views of the people around her, the city, her aspirations and attempts to draw parallels with the life of a Mumbaikar.

Director’s Note:
We often hear people being very vocal about how the local has served them, but we never hear what a local might feel or think. BOMBAI is a film that gives voice to a local train. So our protagonist, ‘BOMBAI’, talks about how this city, which was once Bombay, has changed – how it’s change has affected the lives of people and especially the local, what does she feel about the people around her, the city, and what her aspirations are. Through this film, we also try and draw parallels with the life of a Mumbaikar.

Maati by Amol Narvekar – India | 2016 – 5 min.
Fiction | Section: Dimensions Mumbai

After asking his father a question, a boy sets out on a journey to find out the answer. He spends his whole life on this journey.

Director’s Note:
This short film is like a highway – it does not have a destination but it promises a journey.

Sing by Kristof Daek – Hungary | 2016 – 25 min.
Fiction | Section: Half Ticket

10 year old Zsofi has just been transferred to a new school. She loves singing and is excited to be part of the school’s award winning choir. Only, her arrival triggers a set of events that reveal the truth behind its unmatched success.

Trailer

Ticket To Bombay by Yohan Fernandes – India | 2016 – 5 min.
Fiction | Section: Dimensions Mumbai

Ticket to Bombay is a story about the mutual love shared between an old man and his granddaughter. Mr. Bejan Batliwala is an old man who has lived the best years of his life in Mumbai. Presently, he does not live in the city, but this has not diminished his love for the city he fondly calls his ‘home’. The old man is made to stand in front of a green screen by his granddaughter who directs him to pose in a various ways as she captures a range of videos and stills. The old man is confused and can’t make any sense of it, yet he sportily agrees to do it. As they sit down for breakfast, she informs her grandfather that she is leaving for Mumbai and begins to reminisce about his favourite city.

Director’s Note
What i have attempted to show in this short film is the loving bond between a grandfather and his granddaughter. A biweekly dialysis procedure prevents Mr. Bejan Batliwala from going back to Mumbai where he used to stay earlier in his life. The story is simple, the granddaughter (Dhrishti) surprises her ‘Pappa’ with a simple video containing visuals of Mumbai. This story is close to me, as i have an uncle who undergoes dialysis biweekly and as a result cannot travel for short trips with our family. I have based this short film around his experiences.

To know more about this festival visit the FESTIVAL PROFILE or go to the official webpage HERE.