On 10th January, 2017, Gudiya was abducted to never return home. What soon followed came to be known as the Kathua rape, an act so vile and brutal that it shook the conscience of the nation. However, a year later, as the headlines of violence against women continue to flow, what has truly changed, or so asks this short film. It sews together a series of linked visuals to draw attention to incidents of brutal acts committed against women in India in the recent past. This is made more disconcerting by the voiceover which is done by a child's scared voice. From Gudiya to Nirbhaya, from the fear of walking down a dark street or sitting alone in a cab to a mother's hesitation to send her daughter to school - the cycle simply stays in motion. As the news lingers in our head, the fear gets carried over to the new year, leaving us with the question - akhir iss naye saal mei naya kya hai?

Kathua’s Gudiya | Short Film of the Day

The film introduces the viewer to a powerful protagonist in the form of an aspiring rap artist. Keeping him unnamed throughout as a deliberate decision, the narratorial progression offers an intimate, long glimpse into his life. It is marked by financial tribulations which robbed the young performer of the privilege of truly pursuing his art, and yet, the twinkle in his eye and the cheer of his smiles are unmissable and insurmountable even in the face of all difficulty. 

The film, due to its raw edges in the department of sound and the inconsistency of visuals, attains an informality, but the voice of its beautifully impactful protagonist remains undiminished amidst it all.

Jo Khudse Socha Hain | Short Film Nominee

Ensconced within the wilderness of Madhya Pradesh is the Pench National Park where the film takes us. The park is home to hundreds of different types of birds, as well as scores of animals. With only a small percentage available for tourism, for endeavors like the safari we go on with the film, the rest of the park remains the abode to predators and their prey, to the grazing herbivores as well as the many colorful birds. The film introduces us to the beautifully balanced ecosystem of the space, with special moments like the sighting of a 14-year-old tigress with a limp in her paw. 

A conversation around the preservation of the ecosystem, along with fighting man-made problems like poaching, and natural disasters like cyclones and storms is also presented to the viewer. Tying its visual progression with stills sometimes takes away some of the narrative's seamlessness. Perhaps more mood shots of the space itself could have enhanced this aspect. On the whole, however, the film remains a long, heartfelt glimpse into a marvelous pocket of nature and the community that supports and nurtures it.

The Land of the Jungle Book | Short Film Nominee

The non-fiction documents a traveler’s experience at the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Visuals of the wild are mingled with a narration to introduce the viewer to the many inhabitants of the park that range from lions to hyenas, to name a few. 
The attempt is to present nature in all its glory, resilience, and magnanimity. The choice of music with the scenes unfolding before the viewer presents an involving result. However, the narration is unable to support it all the way. Having said that, the lovely visual drama remains consistent throughout, offering an earnest narrative at the end of it all.

Into The Wild: The Kruger Story | Short Film Nominee

The short narrative acquires a lyricality as it endeavors to bring its intentions to life. Borrowing words from Madonna’s iconic 2016 speech at the Billboard Music Awards, it conjures visuals that employ efficient use of the same physical space. 

While there are presence of edges that can be smoothened out in future projects, the message of the micro short remains emphatic and lucid. A comment on the location of women in society, the words of the singer become the backbone of the narratorial progression. The two elements, the dialogue and the visuals, are thus coupled together, and tied as one with the ribbon of brevity. Additionally, a specifically stylized approach further allows for an attempt at furthering the conversation on a patriarchal society’s distorted lens of viewing women.

I Want You to Panic | Short Film Nominee

The short narrative attempts a quiet conversation with longing for one's loved ones, and the duties and obligations that get in the way of ending this yearning. Nestled between these two, however, lie several other elements - from finding companionship in animals, to peace and calm in the silence of the night, the narrative's intention remains to explore all of them. The same is endeavored to be engaged with by introducing us to six guards who pull the night-duty at a university. The end result, though not without its rough edges, is well-meaning, exhibiting potential of the young team when it comes to storytelling and choice of thematic concerns.

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