Mumbai Feb 25 PTI A group of more than 10 independent filmmakers on Friday wrote an open letter to the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival requesting the organisers to hold physical screening of their films after its 22nd edition which was scheduled to begin in March was cancelledThe organisers of the festival had postponed the 22nd edition due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 The festival was scheduled to take place from 11th to 15th March this year but was cancelled earlier this monthSixteen filmmakers including Sanal Kumar Sasidharan Achal Mishra Aditya Vikram Sengupta Faraz Ali Gurvinder Singh Irfana Majumdar Payal Kapadia and Ranabir Das among others have signed the letter Their work was selected to be showcased during the festival under sections like India Story Spotlight and India GoldAccording to the filmmakers they received a communication from the organisers on February 4 writing that it had become untenable to hold the festival in March citing continuing pandemic logistical and financial challengesThis news was a great disappointment to us Some of us were officially selected in the 2020 edition and had saved our India premieres for two years waiting for this festival Others had turned down multiple other festivals in India in favour of MAMI Some of us had paid submission fees to MAMIMost of us were counting on the festival to give our films visibility and a unique opportunity to share them with audiences the industry and market as most of our films will not get distribution in the way commercial films do None of us has a plan for how to proceed now the letter readAccording to the filmmakers MAMI offered to have their films included in an Official Selection announcement and to be provided a two-day screening window in February or March when their films could be viewed digitally across IndiaMost of them opted to include their films in the announcement because of MAMIs prestige and standing especially in the Mumbai film industry they saidThe view towards digital screenings was mixed the filmmakers said and added that the offer did not adequately address our concerns with the fate of our films or our feeling of discontent with the manner and timing of this decisionThe filmmakers said they collectively requested a meeting with the organisers to discuss other ways forward but this request was ignoredWe are extremely disheartened by this All we ask is that MAMI hold physical screenings of our films over a shorter period of time We do not need extravagant organisation awards or ceremonies but only reasonable slots where audiences across the city can come and watch our films in the theatreIt has already been a depressing time for filmmakers with so many theatres remaining shut This would be a great opportunity to turn things around so that we can share our work with the community in the right spirit the letter further readThe makers also appealed to actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas MAMI Chairperson and other trustees of MAMI to come forward during this crucial moment and help them keep the spirit of the Mumbai Film Festival - Mumbais biggest festival of independent cinema - aliveWe would especially like to appeal to the audiences of MAMI who would be keen to have a physical screening and may join our endeavour to make it happen the letter concludedOther makers who have signed the letter include Haobam Paban Kumar Himadri Mahesh Natesh Hegde Nithin Lukose Prantik Basu Rahat Mahajan Rahul Jain Srishti Lakhera and Bhamati Sivapalan PTI JUR BK BK