Chennai’s Short Film Festival for the Discerning Viewer

The growth of the Indian film audience into a more mature and discerning bunch of viewers has also sparked an increase in related intelligent and innovative film festivals across the country. One such event to look out for is the International Short Film Festival of India to be held on March 9 and 10 in Chennai.

Focusing its attention on short films, as compared to the full length feature films, this festival gives young and talented filmmakers from India and abroad a much required platform for their voices to be heard. Unlike other regular film festivals, which are not without their element of glamour, high profile names and red carpet welcomes, this event has its finger firmly on the nerve of the young and the hip. With more than 600 entries from nearly 32 countries, this global event offers viewers a lot of good films to look forward to. While localities get a much deserved break from the regular genre of feature films, it opens up new horizons for upcoming talent looking for a profitable and deserving stage to showcase their talent. Meeting an internationally acclaimed set of directors, technicians and actors and getting a dekko at some provocative, thoughtful and creative short films is an educative experience for students and veterans alike.

The festival venue is usually teeming with young, enthusiastic filmmakers, budding actors, documentary filmmakers and a dedicated film audience, which is looking for an experience beyond the regular Bollywood and Tollywood masala. It is not unusual to bump into an award-winning Spanish, German or Chinese filmmaker, who is here because this festival is an ideal platform for not just bringing their own creative expressions to India, but also learning about Indian sensibilities. A vibrant group of participants and a whole gamut of novel ideas allow participants to hone their skills and creativity, which after all is the objective of its organisers. While this festival is a great place to interact with several admirable and well known faces in the industry, it also provides a great opportunity to aspiring filmmakers to network, learn about cutting edge media technology and work on their own scripting and direction skills.

The two-day event usually kick starts in a typical Indian fashion with the customary lighting of a diya and a felicitation ceremony. This is followed by the screening of selected entries for the year in theatres in Chennai, giving the audience a visual treat. The festival ends with the giving away of jury awards for the entries selected under various categories, which range from best short films in the national and international categories to best animated film, as well as best actors, male, female and even an award for the best child artiste.

In to its seventh year now, the festival has become an essential part of the discerning film-goer’s calendar. Book your tickets now to watch some soul stirring cinema in Chennai.