The Soldier in the Trench is an intense film which bears heavily on the viewer from the beginning.
From its colour scheme to the gloomy conversations with a psychoanalyst, the film has
already begun to exhibit the intensity of its thematic concerns from the very first moment. 

The exchange of the two characters may strike a chord with the viewers. The fears, trials and
hopes of the human situation are the same. But few are pushed to the extreme of ending their life.
Akriti’s story is one such. 

The film relies predominantly on these conversations that unfold within a closed room. Here, the narrative doesn’t even allow them to move. While the actors try to transcend their space, and invoke ideas of happiness, pain, mental health and the general state of human existence in the process, the film could have gained from a more dynamic approach to their stationing.

The Soldier in the Trench | Short Film Nominee

In the process of writing his next novel, a writer is hard at work at his desk. We see him stationed
before his writing, looking for ideas, struggling with words. In the middle of it all, he receives a text from someone, a link to a
YouTube video, with a strange warning to not watch it. Consequently, he is curious about it, and despite the warning, clicks on the link anyway. Soon follows a series of chain reactions. Since now the Pandora's box has been opened, strange clues begin to reveal themselves, leaving him more and more perplexed. The term ‘virtual
reality’ takes a whole new meaning, as both the viewer and the protagonist realise to their folly.

Click | Short Film Nominee

The film is about the dark, and deadly elements that could possibly come alive at night if we
didn’t watch our step. A young man lies flat on the road, visibly injured. Another is driving a car on the same road. Their
paths cross. What is in store? The film is an attempt to raise awareness about an important issue. It would have, however, gained from a little control on lights and shadows.

The Night | Short Film Nominee

The film begins with a sweet, friendly protagonist offering a glass of water to everyone and anyone who arrives at his doorstep. As the day progresses, a number of delivery agents knock at his door and he receives them with the same genial smile and an offer of water from the filter kept next to it. It isn't until later, when darkness prevails in the sky, that the viewer realizes his sinister motives. The title finds its origin perhaps in the Kala Paani or Cellular Jail known for its brutality and gore during British Rule in India. The final product, however, could have gained from a little more lucidity in the translation of the narrative on screen.

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