Directed by Vasu Dixit, the music video raises concerns about a very important issue - depression among school students. What begins as an innocent instruction, many of us would associate with our childhood, "Beta, sweater peheno", soon takes the form of a didactic, suffocating diktat. The claustrophobic tone of the video is further enhanced by the visuals of the five band members against the backdrop of an empty school. The overwhelming emptiness of the minimalist frames invokes the idea of school students drowning in expectations and the pressure to perform. Beta Sweater Peheno makes a relevant comment about the conversation around mental health and leaves you feeling overwhelmed, and perhaps that is the point of the music video.

Beta Sweater Pehno | Short Film of the Day

The latest offering by TVF’s Qtiyapa, ‘Padh Le Basanti’ is a humourous take on the dismal conditions of contemporary schools and the Indian education system. It draws attention to the teachers' deliberate efforts to not teach their students properly in the classroom, forcing them to come to them for tuitions. Set in a high school, the film uses Rang De Basanti as its inspiration in a comical way to highlight the intent of the teachers. The faculty leaves no option for the students, but to either cheat or spend money on their tuition fee. Matters come to a head when the topper of the school, Ajay is failed in his exams for being the sole force of resistance against tuition classes. His friends, led by DJ, then embark on a revolution with the help of their new teacher Miss Chu. Will this group of school students be able to provide the spark needed for the inferno of revolution?

Padh Le Basanti | School Qtiyapa TVF | Short Film of the Day

Imago invokes the importance of physical beauty for a young girl. A school student, the protagonist of the short film, suffers from leucoderma, a skin condition that leaves her with white spots on her dark skin. Owing to her appearance, she finds it hard to fit in with her peers and struggles with social anxiety. The lack of acceptance leads her to a potentially abusive relationship with an adult who is seemingly accepting of her condition. The short film performs a masterful job of showing how the absence of conventional beauty can be extremely isolating for a young girl. In a short duration, it raises very potent questions and leaves the viewer wanting for more.

Imago | Short Film of the Day

This short film by Pia Shah is the most endearing take on a child's fear of water. Backed by a notable background score, Waterbaby takes the viewer into the life of young Melvin with his pregnant mother and neglectful father. While navigating the metaphorical waters of peer pressure and familial conflict, he finds himself smitten with a new classmate one day. She invites him for a pool party on her birthday and all Melvin can resort to are the lessons he's learnt from Boy Aqua, an animated show he watches regularly. As he stands before a swimming pool in front of school bullies, all his friends and the object of his affection, will Melvin take the plunge?

Waterbaby | Short Film of the Day

Imagine you are sitting in a classroom, writing an exam, but you don't know any of the answers? Bringing a nightmare for many to life is Little Hands, an endearing short film by Rohan Raveendran Nair. The intelligent camerawork of the film is undoubtedly its biggest strength. Without showing any faces, Little Hands, moves from one pair of hands to another to share a story of intimidating questions, the struggle to find their answers, the risks taken to achieve them and finally the sacrifice to help someone in need. The short film is skilful and innocent in equal measures and leaves the viewer with definite answers about friendship and kindness.

Little Hands | Short Film of the Day

The memories of 'firsts' - crush, love, kiss, rarely ever completely leave you. The first installment of this offering by Dice Media is an exploration of precisely the same. Taking the viewer into the hesitant romance of two shy school students, the series tries to be a dose of nostalgia and memories which may continue to linger long after they are formed. While adults may have learned the lingo of dating apps and contemporary romances, what will be the fate of two teenagers just beginning their first tryst with the unpredictable flow of love?

Dice Media | Firsts | Web Series

Firsts | Dice Media Web Series

This short film invokes a very serious concern which is not spoken about as much as it should be. With its engagement with child sexual abuse, Udne Do attempts to educate its audience about how to talk to children about good touch and bad touch. Additionally, it earns brownie points for the manner in which it portrays autism. The film introduces an autistic child who also plays a pivotal role in the plot. Yet it's not his disorder which becomes the focus of the narrative. If nothing at all, the film will at least leave the viewers with a better understanding of a particular form of abuse and how to prepare children to protect themselves against it, along with a much needed normalisation of autism and those who live with it.

Udne Do | Short Film of the Day

In the contemporary atmosphere of increasing discrimination and divisiveness, especially on the basis of religion, the short film comes forth with an emphatic message. The approach it adopts for the same is endearing and devoid of any preachiness. Tiffin opens with visuals of a school, just about to start bursting with the energy of young kids. However, even a world as innocent as this is fraught by the discriminatory laws it has inherited from the adult world. The strength of the film lies in the subtle, quiet manner it adopts to address its concern, along with being supplemented by a convincing performance of the young lead. When society finds itself torn apart by hollow walls of us and them, hope indeed has a resilient, unusual way of making its presence felt, won't you agree?

Tiffin | Short Film Nominee

The pangs of young love are not only deep and all-consuming, but also universal. It is precisely this emotion and sentiment which allows the film a relatability for the viewer as it introduces them to the tribulations of two teenaged lovers. Students of a boarding school, it is now time for them to part ways and say their goodbyes as they graduate from the institution. The film invokes a sweet, endearing story by weaving together the painful, disappointing present with the wonderful memories of the past. It further allows an organic pace to the climax, to let the pain and fear of separation become a character in itself. However, just when all might seem lost for the young lovers, can a reversal of fate wriggle its way into their story?

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