India’s Top Emerging Filmmakers Shot Their Films on iPhone 16 Pro Max - Here’s How You Can Watch Them

The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), the organisers of the prestigious MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, has announced the second edition of MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone, in collaboration with Apple. Building on the success of the inaugural edition, this year's initiative continues to spotlight emerging Indian filmmaking talent, all of whom used Apple's latest iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The 2025 edition features four rising filmmakers -Amrita Bagchi, Rohin Raveendran Nair, Chanakya Vyas, and Shalini Vijayakumar-who are exploring new cinematic frontiers through the lens of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Each film is deeply rooted in its regional and linguistic context, highlighting the diversity of India's storytelling traditions. Amrita Bagchi represents Hindi cinema, Rohin Raveendran Nair brings a Malayalam narrative, Chanakya Vyas presents a Marathi story, and Shalini Vijayakumar showcases a Tamil-language film. Let's find out where and how you can watch this year's films.

Filmmakers and Mentors' Experience with Apple Products

Before getting into how to watch these films, it's worth knowing what the filmmakers and mentors have to say about their experience with Apple's ecosystem. The filmmakers didn't just use the iPhone 16 Pro Max to shoot their films-they also edited everything on the MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip. This combination provided a smooth, fast workflow, making it easier to bring their creative ideas to life both on set and during post-production.

The program includes mentorship from acclaimed filmmakers-Konkona Sen Sharma, Vikramaditya Motwane, Lijo Jose Pellissery, and Vetri Maaran, who guided the participants through every stage of filmmaking.

"Shooting and editing within the Apple family of products gives you a stellar advantage: speed," notes filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane. The unmatched performance of the MacBook Pro, combined with the intuitive capabilities of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, has enabled these filmmakers to push their creative boundaries further than ever before.
"With iPhone, you can break away from traditional filmmaking. All you need is a strong idea and the courage to pursue it," says Konkona.

Vetri Maaran adds, "Shooting on iPhone allows for full creative freedom. It's a two-way learning process-filmmaking today is truly democratic."

"These filmmakers are rooted in different regions and languages, bringing unique perspectives," says MAMI festival director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

Pellissery agrees: "They're passionate storytellers, and using iPhone helps them push their creative boundaries with amazing results."

Amrita Bagchi - Tinctoria

Amrita Bagchi's short film Tinctoria is a psychological thriller about a fashion mogul haunted by the dark legacy of her family's colonial past. Inspired by real events, the story blends history with haunting visuals.

To capture the film's tense, claustrophobic feel, Bagchi used Cinematic mode on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. "The depth of field looks just like a big-budget camera," she says. "It lets me improvise and create on the go - the movement feels like visual rap."

Editing on the MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip gave her powerful, lag-free performance, even with high-resolution 4K footage and complex color grading. "It's like a rocket machine," she adds. "I could shoot fast and still fine-tune everything later."
For Bagchi, legacy is key - both in her story and her inspiration. "We want to follow in the footsteps of pioneers like Satyajit Ray, who didn't let rules hold him back," she says.

Rohin Raveendran Nair - Kovarty

Rohin Raveendran Nair's short film Kovarty is a magical love story set in the scenic backwaters of Alleppey, Kerala. It follows the bond between a typist and his typewriter, Qwerty - renamed Kovarty - symbolizing the theme of change.

Shooting with the iPhone 16 Pro Max inspired Nair's creative choices. "I could even place the camera inside the typewriter for its point of view," he says. Using practical effects and a mix of aspect ratios, he brings a nostalgic feel to the story.

To capture the area's ever-changing weather and rich colors, Nair used ProRes Log on iPhone. "Whether it's sunny or cloudy, the camera handles every lighting situation beautifully," he adds.

Chanakya Vyas - Mangya

Inspired by a newspaper article and the loss of his pet dog, Chanakya Vyas's short film Mangya tells a heartfelt coming-of-age story about an 11-year-old boy and his pet rooster.
For a long tracking shot at dawn, Vyas used Action mode on the iPhone 16 Pro Max to get smooth footage without needing extra gear. "The stabilisation is amazing," he says.

Recording clear audio in noisy settings was also made easy with the iPhone's studio-quality mics. "You can hear everything - from footsteps to rooster calls - so clearly," he adds.

On set, Vyas used the MacBook Pro's nano-texture display to cut down glare while reviewing shots. "It shows the real colors perfectly, so I know exactly how the final film will look," he says.

Shalini Vijayakumar - Seeing Red

Shalini Vijayakumar's short film Seeing Red is a comedic horror story set in a Tamil household in the 1980s. Inspired by childhood stories from her mother, it explores the bottled-up emotions of women in a large family.

The film begins with ghostly screams and ends with the women screaming out their anger. "It's a shift from fear to rage," says Shalini. "Even I join in screaming-it's freeing."
She uses the iPhone 16 Pro Max to shoot dramatic slow-motion scenes in 4K120 fps, flipping the classic "mass shot" from Tamil cinema to highlight her female leads.
For more detailed shots, the 5x Telephoto lens helps her frame powerful visuals, like men in the foreground while women linger in the background. "One frame can tell so much," she says.

Here's How You Can Watch These Short Films

You can catch all four short films on the official MAMI YouTube channel. To make your job easy, we've embedded their channel right here for you.