Apple has introduced four short films that were entirely shot and edited using an iPhone 17 Pro Max and a MacBook Pro with an M5 processor.

Apple is showcasing four filmmakers who shot new short films using the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 'MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone,' an event hosted by the Mumbai Film Academy. All of the submitted films are available on YouTube.

How filmmakers are redefining the art form with MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone - Apple
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/05/how-filmmakers-are-redefining-the-art-form-with-mami-select-filmed-on-iphone/

Apple showcases four new MAMI shorts shot on the iPhone 17 Pro Max - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/07/apple-showcases-four-new-mami-shorts-shot-on-the-iphone-17-pro-max/

'MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone,' a project mentored by renowned Indian film director Sriram Raghavan and others, has released four short films shot and produced using an iPhone 17 Pro Max, an M5-equipped MacBook Pro, and an M5-equipped iPad Pro. All of them are available to watch on MAMI's YouTube channel.

'She Sells Seashells' tells the story of an immigrant who sells small items on the beach and dreams of working at a high-end seaside restaurant.

She Sells Seashells | MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone (2026) | Ritesh Sharma | Hindi Cinema - YouTube


Director Ritesh Sharma said, 'Thanks to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, I was able to draw the audience more deeply into the protagonist's mental state,' and commented, 'In the dreamlike scenes depicting the protagonist's inner world, I was able to use cinematic mode to switch the focus between her reality and what she is feeling.'

'11.11,' directed by Sriira Agarwal, a graduate of LaSalle College of the Arts in Singapore, tells the story of two women on their first date.

11:11 | MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone (2026) | Shreela Agarwal | Marathi Cinema - YouTube


After graduating from university, director Agarwal aimed to become a professional boxer but retired due to injury. He then returned to filmmaking and gained critical acclaim for his boxing documentaries. Although '11.11' had many night scenes, Agarwal says that the wide dynamic range of the iPhone 17 Pro Max meant that 'expensive lighting equipment wasn't necessary.'

'Kathar Katha' tells the story of a news anchor diagnosed with a rare disease that gradually causes the openings in her body to close up. This premise was apparently conceived by director Dhritisly Sarkar himself when he stood in front of a mirror.

Kathar Katha | MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone (2026) | Dhritisree Sarkar | Bengali Cinema - YouTube


In scenes reminiscent of 'old India,' ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2 were made to their fullest extent to recreate the old-fashioned, film-like texture of the footage. Director Sarkar commented that 'technology like the iPhone has democratized media and created room for new stories to be told.'

Robin Joy's 'Pathanam' depicts the socio-political turmoil that ensues when an angel is found collapsed in the backyard of an atheist's house.

Pathanam | MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone (2026) | Robin Joy | Malayalam Cinema - YouTube


Director Joy said, 'I've wanted to make this film for several years, but I felt it was too ambitious. The iPhone 17 Pro Max changed my approach.'

Apple states, 'The iPhone 17 Pro Max's vapor chamber kept the device running smoothly through a grueling 9-to-5 shooting schedule. Action Mode kept the frame stable even when the shoot crew was tossed around in a small boat in the middle of a lake. The MacBook Pro kept the crew working steadily through long days on set and even longer days in post-production. The ambitious plan to edit massive timelines in 4K rather than creating small proxies worked thanks to the M5's power-efficient performance.'

Sivendra Singh Dungalpur, director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, commented, 'The fact that these films were shot on iPhones has inspired hundreds of people to start making short films. This fact is giving rise to a new generation of filmmakers.'