**Executive Summary**
The 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) 2026 featured a special screening of seven films from France’s national film school, La Fémis, under the “Emerging Voices: Film School Editions” section. The showcase, reported on June 18, 2026, aimed to highlight the creative visions of the next generation of French filmmakers and foster cross-cultural exchange. Key activities included the felicitation of director Faeze Karimpour and an invitation for media professionals to engage with filmmakers for interviews.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Festival Showcase and Collaboration**
* MIFF 2026 celebrated emerging talent through a collaboration with La Fémis, a renowned French national film school.
* The event included a special screening on July 17, showcasing diversity, innovation, and artistic excellence in French cinema.
* Shri Pankaj Saxena, Artistic Director of Film Festivals (NFDC), felicitated French director Faeze Karimpour during the event.
**Featured Films and Themes**
* **"The Awakening" (Dir. Faeze Karimpour):** An eight-minute fiction film about a boy overcoming stage fright through an initiatory journey.
* **"Bowl Cut" (Dir. Tamara Vittoz):** A comedy short portraying a child's determination while navigating adult discord.
* **"Max" (Dir. Emilien Pichon):** A 15-minute animation blending childhood curiosity with mystery and suspense.
* **"My Internet Countryside" (Dir. Lily Belbèze):** A 24-minute short exploring loneliness, friendship, and digital-age relationships.
* **"Not to Die Alone" (Dir. Tommy Boulet and Valentin Noël):** A fiction piece examining identity and social conditioning.
* **"Signs from Below" (Dir. Maude Vuillez):** An animation documentary using underwater metaphors to describe growing up deaf in a hearing world.
* **"Still Waters" (Dir. Juliette Gaudin):** A film following a nurse named Lucille as she navigates power dynamics and reinventing care.
**Community Engagement**
* The screenings facilitated meaningful exchanges between French filmmakers and Indian students, cinephiles, and professionals.
* Audiences are encouraged to share their experiences on social media platforms like X using the hashtag #MIFF2026 and tagging @pibmumbai.
**Impact Analysis**
**Young French Filmmakers**
**Impact**
They are provided with a high-profile international platform to showcase their work, gain global perspectives, and interact with the Indian film industry.
**Action Required**
Participate in festival screenings and engage in exchanges with Indian filmmakers, students, and audiences.
**Cinephiles, Students, and Film Professionals**
**Impact**
These groups gain exposure to innovative international cinema and have the opportunity to participate in cross-cultural dialogues and learning.
**Action Required**
Attend screenings and share cinematic insights on social media using #MIFF2026 and tagging @pibmumbai.
**Journalists, Bloggers, and Vloggers**
**Impact**
Media professionals are given direct access to interview emerging international talent and cover unique cinematic stories.
**Action Required**
Reach out to miff.mediadesk@pib.gov.in with the subject line "Take One with PIB" to coordinate interviews and interactions.
Key Entities Referenced
Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) 2026: The 19th edition of the international film festival held in Mumbai to celebrate global cinematic talent and short-form filmmaking.
National Film Development Corporation (NFDC): The primary organizing body and regulator represented by its Artistic Director, providing the platform for the film festival's showcases.
La Fémis: France's national film school whose students' works were featured in a special screening to facilitate international cinematic exchange.
Emerging Voices: Film School Editions: The specific festival section and initiative dedicated to showcasing the creative visions of the next generation of global filmmakers.
Faeze Karimpour: A prominent French director whose work and perspectives were highlighted as a key representative of the talent featured at the festival.
Young French filmmakers
bring fresh global
perspectives to MIFF 2026
MIFF a big opportunity for young
filmmakers, says French director Faeze
Karimpour
Mumbai, 18 June 2026
The 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) 2026 celebrated emerging cinematic talent from
across the world with a special screening of seven films from La Fémis, France’s renowned national
film school. Presented under the “Emerging Voices: Film School Editions” section, the showcase
offered festival audiences a compelling glimpse into the creative vision of the next generation of
French filmmakers.
The films screened on July 17 showcased the diversity, innovation and artistic excellence that have
made La Fémis one of the world’s most respected film institutions. The selection included “The
Awakening,” an eight-minute short fiction directed by Faeze Karimpour. The movie takes you through a
boy who is about to go on stage for his end-of-year show when stage fright takes hold and he stains
his costume. He runs away to fix the mistake and his escape becomes an initiatory journey through
the school and beyond. The experience gradually restores his confidence and brings him back to
himself, ready to face the stage he fled.At the screening, Ms Faeze Karimpour was felicitated by Shri Pankaj Saxena, Artistic Director, Film
Festivals, NFDC. Speaking at the event, Ms Faeze, who was into visual arts in Tehran before pursuing
studies in France, said that the screening at MIFF was a big opportunity for filmmakers like her. She
also thanked the MIFF for providing the platform to the young filmmakers from France.
The selection also included “Bowl Cut,” a short fiction in comedy genre directed by Tamara Vittoz. The
film is a compact and quietly comic portrait of a child’s determination and the way children navigate
the emotional consequences of adult discord.
“Max,” a 15-minute-long animation movie by Emilien Pichon, blends childhood curiosity with mystery
and suspense, while “My Internet Countryside,” a 24-minute-long short fiction by Lily Belbèze is an
insightful exploration of loneliness, friendship and digital-age relationships.
The screening also featured “Not to Die Alone,” a short fiction directed by Tommy Boulet and Valentin
Noël. The film showcased a thought-provoking examination of identity and social conditioning, while
“Signs from Below,” an animation documentary by Maude Vuillez immerses the viewer in the sensory
experience of growing up deaf in a hearing world, where underwater silence becomes a recurring
metaphor for a different kind of listening. “Still Waters” by Juliette Gaudin takes you through the life of
a nurse named Lucille who works to reinvent her gestures of care while navigating the power
dynamics embedded in them.The screening drew enthusiastic responses from cinephiles, students and film professionals, while the
participation of young filmmakers from France added a dynamic dimension to the festival, creating
opportunities for meaningful exchanges with Indian filmmakers, students and audiences.
* * *
PIB Team MIFF | Mahesh Kumar/Riyas Babu/Darshana Rane
Great films resonate through passionate voices. Share your love
for cinema with #MIFF2026. Tag us @pibmumbai on X, and we'll
help spread your passion! For journalists, bloggers, and vloggers
wanting to connect with filmmakers for interviews/interactions,
reach out to us at miff.mediadesk@pib.gov.in with the subject
line: Take One with PIB.
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