Shot on iPhone 16 Pro Max: MAMI's new wave of Indie cinema is here

Forget high-end cameras. Four emerging filmmakers are proving that all you need to craft powerful cinema is vision — and an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The 2025 edition of MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone showcases a cultural shift as four rising Indian filmmakers are capturing the raw, emotional, and often unpredictable rhythms of life through a surprising lens: the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Their work, spanning psychological thrillers, magical realism, coming-of-age drama, and comedic horror, premieres in Mumbai today. And it's not just about genre diversity — it's about who holds the camera and what they can do with it.

Backed by MAMI and mentored by icons like Konkona Sen Sharma, Vetri Maaran, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Lijo Jose Pellissery, this initiative is a rallying cry for new voices. Voices that are now unshackled from the limitations of budget, access, or scale — thanks to the iPhone.

"The iPhone has freed filmmakers from the boundaries of mainstream technique. All you need is a great idea," says Konkona Sen Sharma, National Award-winning director.

A preview of films shot on iPhone

Each filmmaker chose a different path, but one thing remained common — iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Amrita Bagchi's Tinctoria explores post-colonial hauntings in a fashion mogul's life using the iPhone's Cinematic Mode to build tension and intimacy.

Rohin Raveendran Nair's Kovarty is set in the backwaters of Kerala, with POV shots made possible by the iPhone's nimble form factor.

Chanakya Vyas's Mangya follows a boy and his pet rooster in the shadow of a flu outbreak, powered by Action Mode's smooth stabilization.

Shalini Vijayakumar's Seeing Red mixes repressed rage and horror, captured in stunning 4K120 fps slow motion.

Apple products all the way

It's not just shooting. The filmmakers are editing their films on the MacBook Pro with M4 Max chip. This gives them total control — from camera roll to final cut.

"This is democratization in action," says Vetri Maaran. "The iPhone allows complete personal expression — and I'm learning from these filmmakers as much as I'm mentoring."

What's unfolding feels less like a marketing campaign and more like a movement — reminiscent of cinema's French New Wave. Back then, filmmakers grabbed handheld cameras to break cinematic norms. Today, Indian filmmakers are doing the same — only this time, it's the iPhone 16 Pro Max in their hands.

"Like Orson Welles or Satyajit Ray with a film camera, these voices are taking the iPhone where it's never been before," says Vikramaditya Motwane.

Where to watch

The films are now live on MAMI's YouTube channel, and early viewers are already hailing the experiment as the future of visual storytelling in India.

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