MUMBAI: The Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) got off to a flying start yesterday with the screening of the much talked-about David Fincher film Social Network.

Over 200 films from as many as 58 countries will be screened over a period of seven days.

Fourteen films in the international competition section that includes Indian entry Harud (Autumn) will compete for the cash prize of $150,000.

Earlier Srinivasan Narayan, the festival director, screenwriter-director Jane Campion and actor-producer Suhasini Mani Ratnam, two of the five jury members, launched the week-long annual film event.

Responding to a query on the criteria for the best film, Campion, who will preside over the jury, said, “That’s the beauty of a jury. It’s not one person’s opinion, but many people’s views put together. I personally like films where I can see that the filmmaker has done something well. And that could be anything. I like it when I get to see new things, fresh ideas and courageous and curious filmmaking.”

Other jury members, film producer Tanya Seghatchian, Iranian-filmmaker-scriptwriter Samira Makhmalbaf and South Korean actor Yoon Jeonghee, were not present at the launch.

In the next week, the jury will watch 14 films that have been selected from more than 190 entries from around the world. Ironically, of the films shortlisted to be judged by the ‘women-only jury’ only one or two have been directed by women.

“That is ironical indeed,” laughed Mani Ratnam. “I think we have gone beyond that comparison now. I don’t think that makes a difference, and I don’t think we as women judges will look at the films any differently.”

Prominent among those present at the opening ceremony at Chandan Cinema in suburban Juhu included filmmaker Ravi Chopra, Kunal Kohli, and Manoj Kumar.