12th CIDSFF 24 : Indian Short Fiction - Competition

12th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2024

20-29 February; multiple venues, Chennai

Indian Short Fiction - Competition

Theanchittu Catering Service
Dir: Pragadeesh; 20:00; India; Short Fiction; competition

The three women who run the catering business are Ganga, her sister, and their grandmother. Ganga has traumatized childhood issues. But over time, she managed to get past this. Ganga recognizes the person she was sexually assaulted by in her childhood, and she confronts him. What she did to him and how these three women stood up to the villain for themselves were imagined in a narrative and thoughtful way.

Barsa
Dir: AKHILESH K A; 19:53; India; Short Fiction; competition

Amidst the complexities of early marriage, a 19-year-old Muslim mother is determined to break barriers. Balancing motherhood with aspirations, she brings her 6-month-old baby to a 10th class equivalency exam. But a rigid invigilator stands in her way. The short film delves into her journey of defying norms and striving for education, showcasing the strength of a young woman's spirit.

Three Piece Light
Dir: Tom Jose; 19:45; India; Short Fiction; competition

Caught in-between a controlling mother and his own sense of morality, Tom must make a life changing decision to either migrate to a new country or follow his roots.

Ain’t No Beef In Tangra
Dir: Karthik Varma; 16:52; India; Short Fiction; competition

Sam, an English professor, goes drinking in Tangra with his 12-year old student, reminiscing over his dead wife.

Love Note
Dir: Janvi Madabusi; 13:43; India; Short Fiction; competition

Keshav, a 9 year old boy sells tissue paper packets on the streets of mumbai. He comes up with the idea of selling ‘love notes’ written on tissues to couples. The film talks about how one doesn’t have to be born in a loving family to be a vessel of love.

Kahi Ankahi
Dir: Khushi, Yakshika; 12:32; India; Short Fiction; competition

The story revolves around a long-lost female writer who revisits her village after 20 years. In her nostalgia she meets her childhood friend who takes her to different places where they used to go often which helps her to relive those memories and regain her motivation to write again.

The Discipline
Dir: Prahas N; 20:00; India; Short Fiction; competition

A teacher disciplines her pupils when few unwanted incidents occur in a hostel of a residential school for children.

The Old Age Home
Dir: Rahul Razdan; 2:40; India; Short Fiction; competition

Sadabahar
Dir: Suyash Kamat; 12:55; India; Short Fiction; competition

One night when they find themselves falsely accused of robbery, band members of Sadabahar, a wedding brass quartet from UP working in Goa, have to decide between pursuing a livelihood as ‘outsiders’ in Goa and returning to the lives they left behind in their villages.

Sach Minus Jhooth
Dir: Rochna Kumar; 17:49; India; Short Fiction; competition

The film talks about an ordinary woman like Nisha who has everything that a patriarchal perspective thinks a woman needs. But what does she want? Where is her space?

Off-Camera
Dir: Vishal TM; 7:33; India; Short Fiction; competition

"Off-Camera" is a touching family drama that focuses on the effects of social media on the life of Sam, a lively four-year-old boy. Sam's mother records a cute dance performance and posts it online, unexpectedly turning Sam into an internet sensation. Despite his newfound fame, Sam's carefree personality becomes limited as he constantly needs to perform for his virtual audience. 

Yes Sir!
Dir: MUDIT SINGHAL; 20:00; India; Short Fiction; competition

Ramnarayan Tiwari, a Brahmin (dominant caste in India) is a peon/attendant in a government office to a Dalit (lower caste community that has been oppressed and treated as 'untouchables' by upper castes for centuries) who has risen to become a big officer. Tiwari burns with resentment towards this officer’s hierarchical superiority because he considers himself superior as per the religiously ingrained caste system. 

Autumn Flowers
Dir: Nikhilesh Mishra; 7:20; India; Short Fiction; competition

One rainy afternoon in a village in Medinipur, Rumi and her younger brother Imran are waiting for their father to return home. Father doesn’t bring good news but what awaits him is even more tragic.

Rider Rukmani 
Dir: Guhan S; 19:09; India; Short Fiction; competition

During her trip, Rukmani (A solo woman traveller) meets a man who sticks cinema posters on walls. They travel together to watch a movie. The man is not allowed inside the multiplex as he is wearing a Lungi.

Broken Wall
Dir: Mrinmoy Sarkar; 18:24; India; Short Fiction; competition

An old retired man, living in an almost deserted housing in Kolkata, feels lonely and suffers from an existential crisis. He seeks meaningful relationships with people around him. He finds a connection with a neighbourhood kid. Both the old man and kid are living in an adverse situation, which lacks compassion and love. The old man saves the kid from an incident of abuse. But he chooses to vanish from this ugly world because the perpetrator continues relationship with the kid’s mother.

Veiled Inches
Dir: Fathima A; 12:37; India; Short Fiction; competition

"Veiled Inches" is a gripping short film that delves into the struggles of Remya, a pregnant woman determined to overcome societal barriers. The film explores themes of resilience, societal oppression, and the courage to defy norms. Remya finds herself caught in a web of societal constraints as she navigates through her challenging circumstances. Despite her resilience, she encounters numerous hurdles that seem insurmountable. The society she lives in refuses to allow her the opportunities she deserves.

Hoṭṭebāka
Dir: Vishnu Tenkayala; 19:19; India; Short Fiction; competition

'Hottebāka' meaning gluttony, follows the journey of a young, small town woman who moves to Bangalore to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor in the film industry. She manages to secure a position in a film but is asked to lose some weight for the role. Determined to succeed, she becomes increasingly obsessed with her appearance and develops an unhealthy relationship with food. Her mental and physical health begin to deteriorate, and she finds herself struggling to maintain the impossible standards that have been set for her.

Farther than Distance
Dir: Taruna Khatri; 14:12; India; Short Fiction; competition

'Farther than Distance' is a day in the life of a student called Iti going through a phase of isolation in her life. The film explores her need to belong, with undertones of depression, intertwined with envy of others who seem to have better human bonds than her. Remaining distant and withdrawn, she finds herself conflicted when presented with an opportunity to connect with others.

A Drop of Time
Dir: Iniya Vasanthan; 12:01; India; Short Fiction; competition

Oru Thuli Pozhuthu (A Drop of Time) is a short fiction film which revolves around an estranged father-son relationship. Amudhan visits his home after his father’s demise. As he recollects his memories the moments with his father, he finds a bunch of unsent letters written by his father.

Canvas
Dir: Sanjai Chandrasekaran; 18:47; India; Short Fiction; competition

This is the story of a Therukoothu artist, it depicts how he challenges his problems and what all he went through behind the screen (offscreen) due to his challenging phase in life. Can he get out of his real life (tension, sadness and fear) and get into the reel life as a character of a Therukoothu artist is the plot of the story.

Two worlds
Dir: Nithya Gopalakrishnan; 11:28; India; Short Fiction; competition

A young graduate, deep in debt, receives a call on a sunny and busy morning in Chennai. Assuring that he'd reach within 15 mins, he begins racing in his motorbike through the traffic, risking his life even! The following sequence of events in the film unfolds the sad reality of today's world.

The Merchant Of Vinashna
Dir: Kunal Shrivastava; 19:03; India; Short Fiction; competition

In a dark and lonely wintry night, a tea seller is visited by a stranger who calls himself a trader of stories and claims to have come from an unknown city called Vinashna. He tells the tea seller a story about death. A poor man desperately wanders around the city in search of food to survive the night and fate and circumstances make him loot a temple. The stories intermingle and come together in the backdrop of a tragedy.

Roads
Dir: Daanish Shastri; 21:43; India; Short Fiction; competition

Divya, an eleven year old girl in a quaint Himalayan village dreams of becoming an astronaut. Crucial to her dream is the new road that will connect her small hamlet to a larger town and a bigger school. The road is made but it doesn't even weather one monsoon due to the inherent corruption of the system which lines the pockets of all those involved in the construction. When Divya learns of this corruption, she and her friends draw up a plan to pay-back the superstitious local contractor responsible for the road construction.

Reason Behind the Murder
Dir : Vishnu Ainguran; 29.57; India; Short Fiction; Competition 

Reason Behind the Murder" is a short film that follows a parallel investigation into a police officers death, exposing the psychological sadism of a renowned novelist through the intertwined journeys of investigation.

Saani Paadhangal
Dir : Balaji Velan; 25.49; India; Short fiction; Non Competition 

Karupu the father and Chinna the son were heading to a private house as a watchman but his son doesn’t know that his father is going to do a Watchman job. A family with a grandfather called "Ravi," a grandson named "Neev," and father named "Vikram" resides in that private house. The story's plotline is thus: When Chinna and Karupu arrive to that residence, what consequences do they face by that family ?

IPSA

Dir : Pavitra Verma; 24.48; India; Short fiction; Non Competition 

AN ANCIENT INDIAN FABLE
The Himalayan Foothills, circa 500CE: A neglected housewife struggles with infertility, leading her husband to bring a second wife into their home. As she grows distant from the family, she visits a mysterious sage seeking divine intervention.

Blue Gold
Dir : Akash Shukla; 23.08; India; Short fiction; Competition 

After a desperate laborer from the lower caste steals water from the local Brahmin temple, he is banished from his water-impoverished village, forcing him to take destiny into his own hands.