WINNER, SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR

OFFICIAL SELECTION

SEMI-FINALIST

The biggest strength of 'Tower' lies in the approach and tonality it adopts to share the narrative. The narrative itself, it should be noted, offers an impactful conversation around a serious environmental concern, using a very unlikely circumstance - the love story of a cow herder in a corner of rural India. 


While we may have established the protagonist's location to be a 'rural corner', thanks to the rampant spread of technological advances, even this small village is seeing its fair share of change in the form of cellular services and their accompanying towers.  


Parshuram, or as he is better known in his village, Phalya,  spends the majority of his time either in the fields with his young friend, Jaygya (a naughty, Tinkerbell-esque presence), or navigating and admiring the beauty of birds in his vicinity. Every morning, as Phalya strolls through the expanse, a red bus stops to reveal to the audience his childhood crush, Manju, sitting by the window. Alongside Phalya and Manju's love story, another narrative is developing, one about the disappearance of birds from the former's village.  



After conversing for hours on phone calls, the two eventually decide to meet. Following the rendezvous and a conversation about Manju's academic matters, a startling and concerning revelation is made. As the protagonist chooses to to eradicate the root cause of the dwindling bird population, the constant push and pull between nature and technology is conjured for the viewer. In the process, the film raises a resounding question - have centuries of co-existence been disrupted beyond repair by the advent of modern technology and human activities? At the end of it all, the many elements of the plot are eventually tied together with a strangely heartwarming and uplifting message that ensures that the story concludes with a critical comment about the responsibility of each of us towards the world we live in, a statement that will stay with you long after you're done watching the film.

Tower | Short Film of the Year

The film is a quiet rumination on aging, the passage of time, and standing still as you watch the world change before your eyes and continue with its inexorable march. All of this is explored by the lament of a protagonist played most adroitly and skilfully by Naseeruddin Shah, who observes it all from his window. 

After having lived a life of hard work, one which even kept him from spending time with his son, his circumstance has slowed down now, leaving him only with this window and his thoughts for companionship. As he eschews modern technology, smartphones, and virtual contact, instead longing for more meaningful and intimate human interaction, the film comes into being. 

The narrative is constructed gingerly, bolstered by beautiful visuals, and supplementary colors that further invoke warmth and an intrinsic poignancy. The protagonist, and in turn, the film, however, is not marked by bitterness. Instead, only a lament on separation, on things changing too swiftly in their unalterable course, defines it. 

 There is an acceptance of this condition, but not devoid of sadness. A man’s relationship with his house, a space that stands for a life lived fully, complete with its losses and grief, as well as nostalgia, memory, and even strength, thus becomes the overarching force in the film. The narrative takes the form of a story of the old being replaced by the new, echoing the idea that while a life might end, the world continues to move forth, each individual going about their day as always.

Khidki | Short Film Nominee

The film is a calm engagement with the protagonist's attempts to locate himself vis-a-vis the ideas of truth and existence. He is an NRI, returned to a small Indian town to sell his ancestral property before he heads back to his life in the US to never turn back. However, the most unexpected realisations about his past, ideas of love and what it means to allow his foundational roots to open doors (both literal and metaphorical) await him before his departure. The story is allowed to unfold and come into its own at a quiet, gradual pace. It further employs symbolism and metaphors to communicate its message. Consequently, when the closure of the narrative finally arrives, the viewer does not realise in the first instance that the film has already led them by hand to a place of no return.

Neer (Water) | Short Film Nominee

As the title suggests, the film is a single man's voice that adopts a poetic approach to share the intentions of the narrative. Endowed with a lyrical quality, it is essentially a philosophical musing about life and existence. Thematic concerns span past, present and future, and thus, the nature and flow of time. It damns humans to being shells of hollowness, but then double backs to ask a pertinent question - is it truly possible for shells to feel heartache? Is it possible for a hunter to show kindness? And most importantly, is it possible for a survivor to emerge a winner? All of these thoughts are further coupled with visuals exhibiting skill and smoothness, to complete the final product as a comprehensive, cohesive whole.

The Last Monologue | Short Film of the Day

The short film adopts the interesting approach of deliberately taking the viewer in a direction far from where it is truly headed. In the process, it positions itself as a non-fiction narrative at first glance, only to conjure the fictive space of its characters, gradually revealing its cards one by one. 

As we are introduced to the many misadventures of a truck driver on Indian highways, the story comes into its own. Without making itself overbearing, the storytelling (albeit with a few rough edges) further conjures a near-philosophical tonality. Additionally, there is a sense of stolen intimacy in the visuals that develop, as if the viewer is eavesdropping on a conversation not meant for them. The protagonist, on the other hand, conceals a secret of his own from the audience, one which becomes the core underpinning of the narrative. It is thus in the unearthing of this little piece of information that the plot finally presents its primary motivation for you to engage with.

Lyrically Bleating Horns | Short Film of the Month

Asmad, or "me", is an exploration of the idea of the self, and the presence or the complete absence of its power and influence in our lives. The narrative achieves this by being a visual treat which is accompanied by an equally skilled background score. The location it adopts for itself is an idyllic space of a small Indian town where life is calm, slow and simple. The trauma, guilt and sadness of its characters, primarily the protagonist who is dealing with the aftermath of his mother's death, comes to predominate the story. This is further in tandem with his efforts to understand the origin of his thoughts as well as to engage with the ideas of free will and predetermination. The film reaches its conclusion in a lovely, most natural manner, throughout maintaining its pace as well as the atmosphere it has conjured for the viewer. The story is of a young boy who blames himself for an occurrence that was much beyond his control. His journey to this realisation is engrossing and satisfying, finally leaving the audience with a sense of complete closure.

Asmad | Short Film Nominee

‘Spin’ is remarkable in the absurdity it brings to life. Three men, one night and their own sense of emptiness and unhappiness reflected in their faces constitute this world. A man returns from work, exhausted and spent, and sits down with his two flatmates for a strange game they seem to have developed themselves. Is it coping? Is it something to kill time or forget about the futility of existence? Who even knows or cares, suggests the narrative as the characters before us start slapping each other, all along sticking to the rules of the game. 

The film makes efficient use of its resources, be it of space or other tools often required to tell an engaging story. Despite the humor inherent to a situation as ridiculous as the one developing before us, a sense of darkness follows too, ensuring you remain involved in the fates of the three men right till the very end.

Spin | Short Film of the Day

The short film exhibits some very beautiful and creatively executed visual transitions to tell the story of its protagonist, Savio, an assassin. As he prepares to head out for another day of work, planning his next murder, something unexpected awaits him. The visuals are constituted with several symbols and imagery linked to life, death and a search for the meaning of existence. They are plotted against a philosophical exploration of Dalai Lama's The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The book also comes to serve as the inspiration for much of the treatment of the story that plays out before the viewer. However, in a bid to experiment with its unpredictable and unique cinematography, the plot ends up becoming dense and vague. The film would have had more to gain if the narrative was a little less impenetrable.

Savvy? | Short Film of the Day

The short film is a quiet engagement with the notions of loneliness, isolation and all they could potentially signify about the state of human existence in the larger scheme of things. As a woman spends her time in silent conversation with her thoughts, there are perhaps a thing or two she is about to learn about herself as well as her relationship with the world around her. The film is soothing in the tone it adopts, and the skilful visuals it chooses to share its story. The manner is notable and seamless in giving a glimpse into the struggles of the protagonist with boredom and idleness, which lead to a comfort she finally achieves with herself. After all, as the Bollywood song playing in the background suggests, sometimes an entire existence can be achieved within a single moment, when armed with your favourite cup of tea and nature as your sole companion.

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