Mumbai: ShortsTV, a 24x7 linear and OTT HD channel dedicated to short form video entertainment has announced the fifth edition of Best of India Short Film Festival. Aimed at providing global recognition to the works of Indian film makers, the festival gives winners the opportunity for Oscar consideration, a Hollywood theatrical release, and television broadcast deal with ShortsTV.
The previous editions saw an overwhelming response with 2000+ entries every season and participation from Bollywood’s leading actors and directors including Prakash Jha, Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Radhika Apte, and Neena Kulkarni among others.
Top five films shortlisted from the entries will win a theatrical release in Hollywood, while also qualifying for Oscar consideration. Additionally, they will be eligible for a television broadcast deal on ShortsTV. Leading up to the finale week, the festival will screen top 15 films for two days on ShortsTV.
ShortsTV chief executive Carter Pilcher said, “2022 will be the year of Short films, and we are excited to launch the fifth edition of the Best of India Short film festival. This festival is the bedrock of our international hunt for the world’s finest short filmmakers and last year’s worldwide winner ‘Highway Nights’ came right here from India. This year we’re expecting even more exciting films and are excited to launch the careers of more great filmmakers.”
“Short films are fast emerging as the preferred mode of entertainment for viewers across the globe. ShortsTV has always endeavoured to champion filmmakers and this festival has been helping Indian filmmakers to showcase their creativity to audiences across the globe. With the fifth edition of Best of India Short Film Festival, we are excited to bring together India’s best short films on a single platform and making their presence bigger than ever,” added ShortsTV president – Asia and festival director Tarun Sawhney.
To be eligible for the competition entries need to be 'narrative' live action short films with a total running time of 40 minutes or less. It is necessary for either the writer, director or producer to be from India. The film should be presented in High Definition (HD) or DCP format. All films in a regional language (other than English) must include English subtitles. The last date for submission is 30 April, said the statement.
