Gender as a discourse is endlessly layered and nuanced, demanding a constant engagement with its several aspects. The short film is a skilled endeavour to interact with one of these countless threads. By taking the viewer into the problematic thoughts of its protagonist, the film initiates a relevant conversation about identifying, accepting and addressing the problem within. All actions stem from thought, which thereby becomes the first point of correction and amendment. This is the message the film communicates and accentuates through its character of a writer who sits at his desk, indulging himself in imagined situations with the women that surround him. Further, an interplay with ideas of guilt, acceptance, forgiveness and growth is invoked, suggesting that it is only human to find yourself going astray sometimes. However, it is the desire and inclination to check oneself in time that is the most relevant and important concern in furthering the cause of gender equality and ending harassment and discrimination intrinsic to its contemporary dynamics.

#Itoo | Short Film of the Day

10:30 Chalein School is a heartening tale told through the eyes of a pre-teen school girl. It is a story about her tussle with overpowering, orthodox forces that threaten her right to education. Disha lives with her father in a rural corner of India where the beloved school is located right next to her kutcha house. Enthusiastic and keen, she exhibits a deep affinity for reading, and a yearning for knowledge. 

However, soon their aunt from the next village pays a visit and immediately decides for Disha to quit school and participate in the household chores instead. This doesn’t sit well with the rebellious and determined protagonist who protests by regularly dressing up for her own makeshift backyard school. With empty lunch boxes and worn-out books, Disha sets out every morning in the hope of going back to her former classes one day. 

Through the course of the narrative, a myriad emotions are invoked - from despair, heartache to warmth and endearment. Underlying them all is also the very pertinent message about education of children, especially young girls, for the betterment of entire society. Consequently, the film not only offers a sweet, uplifting story, but also the furthering of a conversation extremely relevant in contemporary times.

10:30 Chalein School | Short Film of the Day

The experimental narrative of ‘Memoir of Melting Blue’ is sincere in the ideas it wants to express and portray. A sense of time remains the overarching concept to tie the various elements together. As a woman’s hand, red with adornment, writes backwards, essentially erasing the words on the crumpled pieces of paper, the ideas of memory, past and present are conjured. The manner in which they mold one another becomes the primary force that endeavors to push the narrative forward. The metaphors and symbolism remain consistent, eventually presenting the final result to the viewer with conviction.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links