Trigger warning: sexual assault, violence 
The film treats its narrative in a manner that ensures you are deeply involved in the unfolding events, all along being disconcerted at your interest in the morbidity of it all. 

The protagonist, a serial killer, is led by his hatred towards women while choosing his victims. He not only murders them brutally, but also records their last moments on camera. One day, his path crosses with two men, who may not be serial killers, but are just as brutal in their approach towards women. 

The film weaves an involving narratorial development, with the predominant action confined to a single night. The story remains engaging throughout, the performances authentic. The plot presents a disturbing reality, and a suggestion of the cyclical nature of violence, especially when it's rooted in sexism and misogyny, but brief as it may be, perhaps there’s also a small respite and moment of redemption to be had amidst it all.

With Love From a Killer | Short Film Nominee

A woman arrives at an unknown location, all by herself, to meet a strange man. This is the image which is offered to the viewer right at the start of the film. She is unsure, worried and deeply afraid of something, and yet, she continues her endeavor - interviewing a serial killer, a mentally unbalanced, deranged man who has a past of violence, both inflicted on and by him. 

The film employs a limited physical space, the entirety of the conversation unfolding without the characters moving from their position right until the end. And yet the fear and unease that the narrative manages to instill in the viewer is powerful and notable. Consequently, Atrangi becomes a product that simply utilizes its writing and performances to invoke an atmosphere of horror. 

 A sense of something sinister being afoot never leaves you throughout the film, making you deeply concerned about the fate of the woman who sits before this man who, on the other hand, is recounting all his crimes and acts of cruelty with absolute nonchalance. It is in this use of few resources, minus any garish tools and devices, to successfully communicate its story, that the true success of the film lies, keeping you engaged and involved all along. The film could have gained from more control on the lucidity of its visuals. However, the uncertainty about the fate of the characters preoccupies you instead of its technical aspects, further ensuring that when the revelation finally arrives, it is a conclusion befitting the premise set so far.

Atrangi | Short Film of the Day

A serial killer is on a violent rampage in the city of Rampurat in West Bengal when the film opens. The headlines tout him as the Stoneman Killer, while the audience is taken deeper into this world. Alongside this is the story of a woman who has arrived at the train station a little over an hour ahead of midnight. Her brother who was supposed to pick her up lost track of time and got delayed, ensuring that she is stranded at the platform in the darkness and isolation in a city that is ridden with a night curfew as a result of the horrors afflicted on it by a brutal killer. 

The film does a notable job of constructing its realm which, in turn, ensures that the audience remains engaged throughout. The end result becomes the first part of a longer story, one that leaves the viewer curious about not only the fate of the characters involved but also about the identity and motivations of the killer. 

Though the film keeps itself confined to the story of only a few hours during a single night, it manages to employ the screenplay and narratorial progression to its full capacity, keeping the audience’s attention from wandering off. The subsequent parts of the story should definitely be explored and shared with the viewers.

Midnight Masscare | Short Film Nominee

A man paints the face of his beloved who he has invited to his house for the first time. Nothing is as it seems remains the driving idea of the narrative which offers characters and circumstances far from the truth. 

When left by herself at his house, the woman busies herself cooking an elaborate dish. However, curiosity gets the better of her, and she ends up unlocking doors that should have remained shut for her own good. 

As she comes face to face with her lover’s violent secrets, a similarly gory and bloody fate awaits her. The film offers a sincere endeavor of giving its own individual twist to the story of a serial killer, supported by its actors, while the conclusion harbors some more unexpected developments within its core.

Wedding Ring | Short Film Nominee

Trigger warning: sexual assault 

The entirety of the plot unfolds during the night, but instead of darkness, the visuals are dominated by red and green light - two primary colors with their well-defined boundaries. It could perhaps suggest the mingling of two equal forces, a union the pursuit of which defines the movement of the story. 
Within the first few minutes itself, disturbing developments ensconce themselves within the film, introducing us to a night of violence and sexual assault. The malicious protagonist soon moves on to his next victim - a chirpy, talkative boy who does not shy away from revealing his appetite. He further mentions a game of rock, paper, scissors, not simply echoing the title, but also making the viewer truly pay attention to the equation unfolding before them. 

As the plot continues to move forth, each of these layers is gradually unwrapped, presenting to you a story of horror and terrible events from which there is no looking away.

Rock Paper Scissors | Short Film Nominee

A psychopath is ruminating his next kill, and the viewer is allowed to join him in this enthusiastic, detailed musing. A woman is coming over for a romantic dinner, completely oblivious to imminent events. The narrative, thus, comes to offer a parallel development of the internal workings of the protagonist’s mind, alongside the very external conversation and dinner unfolding between him and the woman. The end result earns points for its approach as well as stylistic choices that triumph the story or plot. The door is definitely left open for further stabs at playing around with the former, making it interesting to see where more such creative pursuits can lead.

Élan | Short Film Nominee

Arun is a disturbing film. It brings to light the reality of men who are seemingly ‘normal’, living ‘ordinary’
lives, while keeping their dark evil intentions under wraps. They fly under the radar and miss jurisdiction
because of the garb of the relationships around them. Psychopaths and serial killers choose and hunt
their prey, they do not reveal themselves to everyone, but only the vulnerable. 
It is a scary thought to live with those men, more than we know, who are triggered into violence so easily. The
film manages to transfer that anxiety onto the viewer.

Arun | Short Film Nominee

It's the short narrative's endeavor to glimpse into the darkness of the human mind. Adopting a first-person approach, it introduces us to a serial killer who is addicted to the crimson blood of his victims. There is dedicated effort to portray the various violent acts he commits on screen, alongside a voiceover that shares the motivations behind these acts and all that the protagonist seeks to achieve from his killings. Remorse and guilt are completely absent, what remains is only an adrenaline rush and the pursuit of seeking the next when it is over. The attempt, thus, is to put these various elements together in the form of a completed whole.

The Colour of Blood | Short Film Nominee

The very first name that the viewer is introduced to in the film is Kalpana, or imagination. Tied with its title, Bhram or illusion, this name gains more significance, immediately making you aware of a sense of discomfort that would come to define the entirety of the plot. The first bit of audio information is further marked by an overlap of two voices, along with a ringtone of a mobile phone that you are unlikely to associate with a woman like the one on screen currently. All of these elements together help to add layers to the story which promises to hold more complexities within its folds. The film fulfils its promise by presenting a fitting climax and conclusion to it all. Additionally, it offers a comment on mental health, and the extent to which someone could find themselves entrapped by guilt and isolation.

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