The realm of the film is defined entirely by symbolism and metaphors to present the internal struggles of the protagonist. As he sits by himself fixing a clock, perhaps he is attempting to fix, understand, and even dispel the many mysteries of time itself. His tinkering with the object, and all that it can potentially stand for soon takes us into a world of vast expanses of nature, abound by mystical and magical creatures and occurrences. Three characters in hooded capes, the myriad elements of nature, all thrive here. As the protagonist traverses a journey from darkness to light, can these elements lead him to wings, wisdom, and a soaring flight? A strong voiceover and performances, written and executed with care, and interwoven with competent visuals, share the film's world with the viewer. The obscure explorations constitute the young man’s journey, eventually presenting the answer to this question.

Exodus | Short Film of the Day

The entirety of the narrative is constituted by a single conversation between two men, pivoting on the metaphor of a bridge. Both located at vastly different ends of the social and financial spectrum, their experiences allow them one brief moment of overlap, to eventually give way to a tragedy. With his personal as well as professional life in tatters, a powerful corporate magnate finds himself at the end of his rope. The moment of the introduction of his circumstance to the audience is also accompanied by the knowledge of him having little to no idea about the life and experiences of his driver, a man with whom he has spent the better part of twenty-five years. As the conversation allows the man to make an important decision about the course of the rest of his life, the film suggests that sometimes the very crucial turning points are determined by the smallest realizations which truly make all the difference in the long run. Additionally, the film has smooth visuals, but loses points when it comes to effortlessness of the flow of the conversation between its two actors.

Pul | Short Film Nominee

At the heart of ‘Kaaval’ rests a crucial message about the conservation of wildlife which humans have exploited endlessly for their material gains. The manner of communicating the same to the viewer is defined by thrill, suspense, mystery and even a suggestion of the fantastical. 

Visuals of lush forests soon take an overwhelming turn as they are coupled with a sense of the unknown. A forest ranger, Sabari is on a quest to dispel the mystery of sounds of gunshot he had heard during the day, followed by finding the head of a dead animal floating in a stream. His path soon crosses with the unlikely Satpathy who presents to him an account of a ranger before him who went missing in the jungle, never to be found again, taking him deeper into the many secrets that lurk in this unexplored space. 
 
Matters soon come to a head when Sabari is eventually faced with a formidable foe. As he fights for his escape and survival, the narrative further ropes in action and violence, and at the end of it all, ties them together to present the final narrative as a balanced whole, along with an emphasis on its pressing, educational message about the protection of wildlife.

Kaaval - Under The Watchful Eyes | Short Film Nominee

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.

Memoir of Melting Blue | Short Film Nominee

The narrative employs metaphors and symbolism more than any other tool available for a film, dialogues or words, for instance, to share its intentions with the viewer. As the title suggests, the film invokes a sense of mundane tedium, and the inability to act, by showing us a protagonist who simply sits and watches the ebb and flow of waves. There is further the effort to use nature as a metaphor - from its indifference to human existence and its many tribulations, to its limitlessness which leaves humans powerless and insignificant, it can potentially stand for several things. For the protagonist, however, it seems to be the only companion he has, allowing the narrative a universality in its invocation of emotional and physical isolation in a world battling a pandemic.

Latency | Short Film Nominee

With symbolism as the primary approach to its storytelling, the short film introduces us to the many emotional states of a woman. The manner in which the relationships in her life come to affect them, from potential sexual liaisons to the treatment meted out to her by her parents, all of them become important deciding factors. However, because of the abstraction the plot comes to operate within, marked more by obscurity than lucidity, it is possible to have multiple interpretations for the things unfolding before you. As the entirety of the narrative progresses, develops and concludes, it comes across as attempting to invoke surreal images, akin to the altered reality of dreams, to tell a story of love, loss, pain and sometimes, even pleasure, albeit temporar

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