Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who is chairman of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), has invited aspiring directors from the city to compete in the 'Dimensions Mumbai' section at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) Oct 21-28.

A new section that includes short films on the city requires 'all aspiring directors to direct and submit a short film', a statement said.

'The short film competition is open to young Mumbaikars below the age of 25 years, which invites films of up to five minutes duration on the theme of 'Mumbai, The Metropolis',' it said.

Organised by MAMI, the festival is a Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd (RBEL) initiative which is the flagship media and entertainment arm of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.

A panel comprising experts will select top 20 films from the received entries that will be screened at the gala. Apart from short fiction, the competition is also open to documentary and animation films.

The 'Dimensions Mumbai' jury consists of eminent personalities who will select films and honour winners with prizes that include Silver Gateway trophies and cash prizes of Rs.100,000 and Rs.50,000 respectively for the winning director(s) and the runner-up.