Four emerging filmmakers are pushing creative boundaries with iPhone 16 Pro Max cameras for the 2025 MAMI Select program, premiering today in Mumbai. Mentored by renowned Indian film icons Konkona Sen Sharma, Vikramaditya Motwane, Lijo Jose Pellissery, and Vetri Maaran, these directors are creating innovative short films spanning four languages and regions of India.
"With iPhone , there's so much power contained in such a compact package that you can bypass the conventions of mainstream filmmaking," says Sen Sharma. "All you need is a great idea, and the guts and determination to follow through with it."
Now in its second year, the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) program demonstrates significant credibility, with two of last year's participating films recently winning Critics Choice awards for Best Short Film, Best Director, and Best Writing.
"The unique voices of these filmmakers are beautifully contextualised through the four languages and regions of India in which they are rooted," says MAMI festival director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.
Shot on iPhone, Edited on Mac
Each filmmaker leveraged iPhone 16 Pro Max's advanced camera capabilities alongside MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip for editing. Features like Cinematic mode, 4K120 fps recording, Action mode stabilization, and the 5x Telephoto lens enabled unprecedented creative control.
"Shooting and editing within the Apple family of products gives you a stellar advantage: speed," says Motwane.
Amrita Bagchi's psychological thriller "Tinctoria" explores colonial ghosts haunting a modern fashion mogul. "It was a very ambitious production, but with iPhone 16 Pro Max, I can constantly create and improvise," she says.
Diverse stories through personal lenses
The filmmakers' projects span multiple genres and themes. Rohin Raveendran Nair's "Kovarty" is a magical realist romance shot in Kerala's backwaters, while Chanakya Vyas' "Mangya" tells a coming-of-age story about a boy and his pet rooster.
Shalini Vijayakumar's "Seeing Red" subverts Tamil cinema conventions in her horror-comedy about women's repressed emotions. "I call these the 'mass shots' where the heroes walk dramatically in slow motion," she explains. "I'm doing that for the women in 4K120 fps, and it looks fabulous."
"Shooting on iPhone allows for complete personal expression," says Maaran, who believes he is learning as much from his mentees as teaching them. "We're living in the age of democracy in filmmaking."
Motwane is convinced these filmmakers can carry forward the legacy of cinema legends. "These filmmakers can be the pioneers who take the camera to places we've never seen before," he says.
The four short films are available to watch on the MAMI YouTube channel.
"With iPhone , there's so much power contained in such a compact package that you can bypass the conventions of mainstream filmmaking," says Sen Sharma. "All you need is a great idea, and the guts and determination to follow through with it."
Now in its second year, the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) program demonstrates significant credibility, with two of last year's participating films recently winning Critics Choice awards for Best Short Film, Best Director, and Best Writing.
"The unique voices of these filmmakers are beautifully contextualised through the four languages and regions of India in which they are rooted," says MAMI festival director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.
Shot on iPhone, Edited on Mac
Each filmmaker leveraged iPhone 16 Pro Max's advanced camera capabilities alongside MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip for editing. Features like Cinematic mode, 4K120 fps recording, Action mode stabilization, and the 5x Telephoto lens enabled unprecedented creative control.
"Shooting and editing within the Apple family of products gives you a stellar advantage: speed," says Motwane.
Amrita Bagchi's psychological thriller "Tinctoria" explores colonial ghosts haunting a modern fashion mogul. "It was a very ambitious production, but with iPhone 16 Pro Max, I can constantly create and improvise," she says.
Diverse stories through personal lenses
The filmmakers' projects span multiple genres and themes. Rohin Raveendran Nair's "Kovarty" is a magical realist romance shot in Kerala's backwaters, while Chanakya Vyas' "Mangya" tells a coming-of-age story about a boy and his pet rooster.
Shalini Vijayakumar's "Seeing Red" subverts Tamil cinema conventions in her horror-comedy about women's repressed emotions. "I call these the 'mass shots' where the heroes walk dramatically in slow motion," she explains. "I'm doing that for the women in 4K120 fps, and it looks fabulous."
"Shooting on iPhone allows for complete personal expression," says Maaran, who believes he is learning as much from his mentees as teaching them. "We're living in the age of democracy in filmmaking."
Motwane is convinced these filmmakers can carry forward the legacy of cinema legends. "These filmmakers can be the pioneers who take the camera to places we've never seen before," he says.
The four short films are available to watch on the MAMI YouTube channel.
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