Five creators showcase short movies ‘shot on iPhone’ at MAMI 2024 film festival

In 2023, Apple in collaboration with the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) announced a mentorship programme 'Jio MAMI Select – Filmed on iPhone' in India.

It offers aspiring directors get guidance from India’s top film-makers including Vishal Bhardwaj, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Rohan Sippy. 

This year, movie creators- Archana Atul Phadke, Faraz Ali, Prateek Vats, Saurav Rai, and Saumyananda Sahi- have submitted their short movies shot entirely on iPhone 15 Pro Max. Also, filmmaker used MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip, allowing them to edit in even the most remote locations. 

"Our aim is to create an ecosystem that facilitates emerging filmmakers by creating opportunities that help them do new work and showcase it to a larger audience. MAMI Select — Filmed on iPhone is an important initiative in that direction, and we cannot wait for the world to see these stories using the filmmaking capabilities of iPhone 15 Pro Max and the editing prowess of MacBook Pro with M3," said Anupama Chopra, director, MAMI film festival.

Working with mentor Rohan Sippy (left), Saurav Rai (right) created the short movie Crossing Borders.

Mentored by Rohan Sippy, Saurav Rai created the short movie Crossing Borders. The story revolves around a woman who smuggles goods, like saris and umbrellas, across the Indo-Nepalese border to make ends meet.

Archana Atul Phadke's movie titled Mirage, is based on a young boy who spends all his time on his iPhone, only to lose it — and himself — in the desert.

“My films always start with music or sounds. The visuals come later,” said Phadke.

“With the default 24 mm Main camera, I explore wide shots in the beginning. Towards the end, the 120 mm Telephoto camera — which gives amazing depth — makes the boy’s world smaller and smaller,” said Phadke, the National Award winner and alumna of the Berlinale Talent Campus.

Archana Atul Phadke (right) worked with cinematographer Amith Surendran (left), using the 120 mm 5x Telephoto camera of iPhone 15 Pro Max to add depth to the vast desert landscape setting.

Filmmaker Faraz Ali created the short film titled--Titled Óbur (Cloud). It is a tragicomedy that follows a teenage boy who loses the memories of his ailing mother. The memories were on his iPhone, which he pawns off to a pharmacist in exchange for his mother’s medical aid.

Cinematographer Runal Hattimattur uses a small rig cage on a tripod with iPhone 15 Pro Max for Saumyananda Sahi's film A New Life.

Saumyananda Sahi, the cinematographer of the BAFTA- and Academy Award-nominated documentary 'All That Breathes' shot a short movie titled 'A New Life' for the MAMI film festival.

The story is about a migrant factory worker who is forced to leave his pregnant wife in search of better job opportunities. Shot in Kolkata and Bengaluru, it explores the emotions of fatherhood and long-distance relationships.

Filmmaker Prateek Vats (right) worked with mentor Vishal Bhardwaj (left). Right photo: Vats (foreground center) shot in New Delhi for his film Jal Tu Jalal Tu.

Prateek Vats and his co-director Shubham shot a short film titled Jal Tu Jalal Tu (You Are Water, You Are the All-Powerful). It is based on Anton Chekhov’s classic short story The Death of a Government Clerk.

It is an emotional movie, which captures the anxiety of a factory worker who accidentally offends his employer. It also beautifully shows power dynamics and social hierarchies in a blue-collar environment.

All five short movies are available for free on the official MAMI YouTube channel.

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