Short Film Fest of Kerala in June

Come June and the city will host the third Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala. The festival, being organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy for the State Cultural Affairs Department, will begin on June 11 and continue till June 15.

Aimed at catalysing a vibrant documentary and short film movement in the State, the festival would reflect the exploding nature of the visual medium in its many facets of creativity and resistance.

As part of the festival, there will be a national-level competition for long documentaries, short documentaries, animation and short fiction films produced in India between May 1, 2009 and April 25, 2010. The last date for sending in entries for the festival is May 5, 2010.

What�s more, there will even be a Campus Films Competition for films produced by students from educational institutions in the State, above the higher secondary level. The films will have to be 20 minutes or less in duration. The director of the film has to be above 18 years at the time of production. The best campus film will bring a cash prize of Rs 20,000 and a certificate to the creative team.

As the visual media is now used by image-makers from all walks of life to express, experiment, learn and as an effective tool to conscientise and bring about social change, a director or production company may enter more than one film, provided a separate entry form accompanies each film.

However, all non-English-speaking projects must have English subtitles.

The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy will appoint a selection committee consisting of eminent persons, including filmmakers and others from different fields. No person with any involvement in the films will be present on the selection committee.

The best long documentary (40 minutes and above) will get a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a certificate. The best short documentary, with a length of less than 40 minutes, will bag a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a certificate. The best Short Fiction (under 70 minutes) also gets a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a certificate. The best animation and the best music video will each get a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a certificate.

Entries have to be sent to the Secretary, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Mani Bhavan, Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala - 695 010. For more details, contact over telephone number 0471-2310323, e-mail: iffkoffice@yahoo.co.in or log on to www.keralafilm.co.