We are introducing a short film competition, to mark the occasion of the 15’th year of Yashwant International Film Festival. Short films are widely recognised as important medium of self expression for the young generation. The Goal of this competition is to encourage new filmmakers between the ages of 18 to 30, to find their unique creative voice.

Topic for the competition

‘Changing Role of women in the society today’

Women play an important role in the society we live in today. Their contribution is significant within the family structure as well as in the social hierarchy in general. But the struggle to reach this position hasn’t been easy. The films presented in the competition are expected to analyse and highlight The various aspects of this long struggle and reflect on the role of women in the world, as they see it.

The films presented should be in the fiction category. Documentaries will not be accepted.

The best film in the competition will be awarded Rs 1,00,000/- along with the trophy. In addition, five more awards- Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Director of Photography and Best actor (male/female) will be given, comprising of Rs 10,000/- and trophy each. In addition to these, two films will be selected for Jury award and Audience award and will comprise of a trophy and a certificate.

The films applying for the competition should have their first public screening at YIFF if selected, making it their Indian Premiere. They should not be made available for screening on any public platform prior to this.

Along with the competition section, the festival will also have a ‘out of competition’ short film section. There is no restriction of the subject for this section except the films should be from the fiction category, and the production should have been completed after Jan 1, 2024. Their prior participation in other film festivals is acceptable.

Rules and Regulations

• The duration of films applying for both sections should not be more than 20 mins.
• Age of the director should be between 18 and 30.
• The director should be of Indian nationality.
• Audio/ video format to be submitted at the time of application should be HDMOV or HDMP4 video (1080x 1920 resolution) and audio - stereo or 5.1, with a file size of 2 gb or lower.
• The form submitted online should have the screening link, 2 photographs of the production, cast and crew list.
• Screener can have a watermark, but if selected, a clean print should be provided when asked.
• All prints should have English subtitles.
• For the competition section, Jury’s decision will be final. For the non competition section, the organiser’s decision will be final.
• Last date for the entry submission is 10th January 2025.