Mumbai, June 10 (IANS): Filmmaker Kiran Rao says she was a "classic film school snob" who thought mainstream cinema was synonymous with "bad cinema".

"It's a coincidence that I returned from film school around the same time MAMI started. I was this classic film school snob who thought mainstream cinema was synonymous with bad cinema," Kiran said at a press conference on Wednesday held to unveil the 17th edition of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) Film Festival.

"I thought I couldn't make my films here. Considering the period of the late 90s, mainstream was largely bad cinema," she said.

The dates for the MAMI Film Festival -- October 29 to November 5 -- were announced at the press conference.

Stating that film festivals are generally deemed "arty", Kiran clarified that it would be a blend of commercial and art house cinema.

"The mainstream cinema landscape has changed dramatically and now is in a position to start new relations with art house cinema. The situation is such that both of them can co-exist brilliantly, collaborating and infusing energies into each other. And MAMI plays a crucial role in this integration," she said.