New Delhi: Internationally renowned directors Mani Ratnam and Luca Guadagnino will be honoured with the Excellence in Cinema Award in Mumbai on Friday, October 27. The award honours individuals who have made outstanding, long-lasting contributions to the world of film and cinema. Previous recipients include Darren Aronofsky, Sharmila Tagore, Fernando Meirelles, and Chen Kaige.


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With a career spanning four decades, Mani Ratnam is one of the most celebrated, well-known, and respected directors from South Asia. Over the decades, his cinema has explored different themes, from the classic love story to political drama to human drama. Mani Ratnam's films have layered characters and complex themes that are deeply rooted in a cultural and social context. His most notable movies include Mouna Ragam (1986), Nayakan (1987), Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), Iruvar (1997), Alaipayuthey (2000), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Guru (2007), and Ponniyin Selvan (1 & 2). Mani Ratnam is one of the greats, and his cinema continues to be relevant and a conversation starter.


Luca Guadagnino is the auteur filmmaker behind some of the most visceral and visually stunning films of the last two decades, including the Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe-nominated films I Am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015), the Academy Award-winning film Call Me By Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2018), and the feature documentary Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (2020). Bones and All (2022) won Guadagnino the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival 2022. Guadagnino made his TV debut with the HBO drama series We Are Who We Are (2020), which he created, directed, wrote, and produced. His film Challengers starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, will be released in April 2024, and he is currently in post-production for his next feature based on William S. Burroughs’ novel Queer.


Commenting on this, Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, said, “It's a privilege to award these formidable artists. They have redefined and expanded our ideas of what cinema can be. We look forward to having them at Jio MAMI."


One of the key highlights of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival this year is going to be the masterclasses by these two veterans. India loves their work, and they are an inspiration for established as well as budding filmmakers across the world.