The 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival, popularly known as MIFF was inaugurated in Mumbai today by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col. Rajyvardhan Rathore. Noted wild life film maker Naresh Bedi was conferred upon the V Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award. <br/><br/>Mr. Bedi's film 'Cherub of the Mist' staring two cute red pandas was showcased as the opening film this evening. The biennial event, organized by the Films Division and supported by Maharashtra Government will feature a total of 385 films over the next 6 days. <br/><br/>The oldest and the largest festival of non-feature films in South Asia, the Mumbai International Film Festival was inaugurated in Mumbai today. The 14th edition of the festival brings together a talent pool of documentary, short and animation film makers from the across the world. <br/><br/>Out of a record number of 831 entries from 25 countries, MIFF 2016 will showcase a selection of 385 movies. Some of the best documentaries that include 'For the Love of a Man' -about the cult of Rajnikant in South India and "Among the Believers" a new documentary about the roots of religious extremism in Pakistan apart from "The Look of Silence" about Indonesian killings of 1965-66 will be among the top draws this year. <br/><br/>A total of 110 films will compete in four sections namely international, national, new media and animation. A total cash prize of Rs 55 lakh is on offer this year. The week long festival will also have master classes by jury and eminent film makers, Camera and Digital workshops, Producers' Forum, panel discussions, seminars and Open Forum. Meanwhile, speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Col. <br/><br/>Rathore said digital technology has ushered in a new era in film making and is greatly contributing to the documentary film movement. He said it is heartening to note that film makers have come out with excellent films, displaying a mature approach; despite facing great financial hurdles. The Minister added that the Government would consider making one of the Doordarshan Channels, perhaps DD Bharati, a platform to promote documentary films.