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With a 48MP main camera, 5x telephoto lens (exclusive to the Pro Max), and ProRes video recording with direct-to-SSD support, the device is built with creators in mind. Add to that the A18 Pro chip, enhanced low-light capabilities, and a Super Retina XDR display, and you’ve got a smartphone that’s edging into pro-grade territory — at least when it comes to shooting on the go.
These very specs are what made the iPhone 16 Pro Max the camera of choice for MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone 2025, a new initiative by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). The program backs four up-and-coming Indian filmmakers with full production support — the only condition: everything had to be shot on an iPhone.
The result is a mix of stories that stretch both cultural and creative boundaries, all captured using a device that fits in the palm of a hand. For these filmmakers, the iPhone isn’t just a phone — it’s a practical, portable tool that opens up new ways to tell stories.
What is MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone 2025?
Launched by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone 2025 is a platform spotlighting the work of four emerging Indian filmmakers — Amrita Bagchi, Rohin Raveendran Nair, Chanakya Vyas, and Shalini Vijayakumar. The initiative supports them through every stage of the filmmaking process, providing access to cutting-edge tools like the iPhone 16 Pro Max for shooting and the MacBook Pro for post-production.
The selected films span Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, and Tamil cinema, each exploring distinct narratives and visual styles. Under the guidance of an established filmmaker, the program aims to challenge conventional storytelling and encourage experimentation with mobile filmmaking.
The final films are set to premiere in April 2025, followed by a release on MAMI’s official YouTube channel.
The films made during this festival showcased different aspects of the camera we want to highlight the ones we also use in our videos everyday.
Apple ProRes
Rohit Raveendran Nair, Director, Kovarty said: “Nair’s short film Kovarty takes him back to his roots, deep in Kerala’s breathtaking Alleppey backwaters. A love story tinged with magical realism, it showcases the relationship between a typewriter and typist. Qwerty, as the typewriter is christened, is slowly transformed by the lilting Keralite accent into Kovarty. This acts as a metaphor for the film’s major theme: change.
The prospect of shooting on iPhone 16 Pro Max was instrumental in Nair’s choice of narrative. “Using iPhone’s small form factor, I could place the camera inside the typewriter and capture its POV,” he says. “This, along with practical effects with fish wires, helps bring the device to life.”
Nair is framing his point of view shots in a 4:3 aspect ratio to emulate the verticality of a sheet of paper. These are juxtaposed against a wider 2:1 aspect ratio when capturing the expansive backwater landscapes. For some old-world charm, he also uses a bloom filter to create a halo around the highlights.
Nair believes iPhone 16 Pro Max will complement the coastal town’s vivid blue-greens.
“One day our location is bright and sunny, the next it’s cloudy and gloomy,” he says. “The camera captures such rich detail with ProRes Log in all sorts of lighting situations.”
Action Mode
For his new short film Mangya, educator and thespian Chanakya Vyas found inspiration in an unusual place. “It may seem obsolete, but a newspaper is a great place to discover stories,” he says.
Mangya is a coming-of-age tale about an 11-year-old boy and his pet, the titular rooster. “Losing a pet is very different from the loss of another person,” muses Vyas. “What started out as a story about a lonely boy, eventually became one about letting go.”
“There’s no time to mount the camera on a traditional gimbal,” he says. “But with Action mode, I could even shoot multiple takes. The stabilisation is just so impressive.”
Recording clean sound in a country as loud as India can be tricky, but Vyas is incorporating the cacophony into his milieux.
“We’re able to layer footsteps, the rooster crowing, and the whirring sound of a fan with distinct clarity with the studio-quality mics on iPhone 16 Pro Max,” he says. “The native audio is that good in its bit rate and cadence.”
Out amidst the chicken coops while on set, Vyas relies on the nano-texture display of his MacBook Pro, which dramatically reduces glare and distractions from reflections coming from the overhead sun as he reviews the continuity of his shots. Nano-texture is a game-changing experience when working outdoors.
“For a director, the most important thing is how the footage will turn out,” Vyas says. “Thankfully the Liquid Retina XDR display on my MacBook Pro gives me an accurate representation of the actual colours we will see in the finished version.”
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