Bangalore International Short Film Festival hosts pre-show gala

Their camaraderie palpable, a circle of artists gathers in an alcove in Church Street to discuss a very specific medium—short film. Over food and drink, they share stories of their successes, all of which share community as a common denominator.

Conceived by Prakash Belawadi, the Bangalore International Short Film Festival (BISFF) was instituted in 2010 as a platform for independent and mainstream filmmakers to showcase their work. In partnership with the Azim Premji Foundation, Alliance Française, RV University, and the Goethe-Institut, the festival is Academy Award- Oscar-accredited, with winning films in contention for the coveted Academy Awards.

At the event, founder and director Anand Varadaraj opens with a story from 2013, in which an anxious Karthik Subbaraj, a celebrated name in Tamil cinema today, avoided the screening of his own film. Crediting BISFF for aiding the advancement of his career, Vardaraj affirms, “We did not find him producers, distributors, or actors. We did not find him anything. The only thing we did was to give him extra space to stand upon.”

The festival spans roughly 11 categories, including national, international, and regional, as well as themes such as womanhood, queerness, and disability.

“Everybody uses AI today,” Anand admits, “We cannot ignore it, so we have added an AI section, which is in competition.” Devanshu Singh, a National Award winner for Tamaash, initiates discourse on ethical AI. “This year, I’m making a short film in Leh, but because I have never been to Leh, I am using AI to pre-visualise my films, so I can go to Leh with an ace cinematographer.”

This foray into machine-aided filmmaking is unsurprising, given Devanshu’s history of flouting convention. His debut Tamaash, for instance, was written in a language he did not know and featured child actors and animals, a difficult combination to navigate. Skilled artists and animators can prove expensive, and he posits AI as an asset amid budgetary constraints, enabling amateur filmmakers to realise their vision, however surreal, without artistic compromise.

Sunayna Suresh credits the BISFF with her directorial triumphs. Her Mouna Raaga describes the relationship between a single mother and her son. “To me, BISFF is home,” she says, remembering the enthusiasm of the audience at Suchitra Auditorium, where her film was screened.

This year, the BISFF has undertaken two initiatives. The first is a partnership with ProducerBazaar, founded by G. K. Tirunavukarasu, a platform designed to help creators manage their intellectual property through buying, selling, and licensing agreements. The BISFF is also working in collaboration with the RV Film school to organise the ECHOS Conference, which is targeted at students and aims to encourage the dissemination of all things film: from academic critiques of existing films to novel ideas on structure, form and presentation.

By educating potential filmmakers and arming them with the resources to succeed in their field, the Bangalore International Short Film Festival stays true to its stated mission: “To create a platform for young and amateur filmmakers to screen their shorts to discerning audiences and, more importantly, find constructive and critical feedback from experts in the field.”

The Bangalore International Film Festival will be held from August 14 to 16 at multiple locations in the city. To know more, visit https://bisff.in/