Bollywood filmmaker Hansal Mehta expressed his disappointment and frustration after it was announced that the 2025 edition of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will not be held. The director called it a "cruel irony" that the city, hailed as India's financial and cinematic capital, has failed to sustain its flagship film festival.
Taking to his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, Mehta wrote, "It's a cruel irony that Mumbai draped in the glitz of being India's financial and cinematic capital cannot keep alive a film festival of its own."
"Abandoned by the self-appointed gatekeepers of cinema who chased shinier stages and safer bets, it was left in the hands of a few passionate believers to run on pure faith. And now that fragile flame has been snuffed out. No ceremony. No outrage. Just a slow, silent forgetting. What should have been a cultural cornerstone has been reduced to a footnote - another casualty of apathy dressed as progress," he added.
The remarks came shortly after the Festival Director of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, issued a formal statement announcing the cancellation.
"This is to inform you that the 2025 edition of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will not take place as we are in the process of revamping the festival with a dynamic vision and a new team," the statement read.
"We are working diligently to reschedule the festival and will announce the new dates for the 2026 edition as soon as possible," it further read.
Known for showcasing a strong lineup of independent, regional, and international films, the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival has long been regarded as a vital cultural platform. With the 2025 edition cancelled, the organisers now plan a major revamp aimed at returning in 2026 with renewed energy, vision, and commitment to celebrating the best of global and Indian cinema.
