India's first short films channel ShortsTV launched; Rasika Dugal calls Chutney a breakthrough

Mumbai: The Indian audience will now get to watch short movies on ShortsTV, which is in partnership with Tata Sky. The channel was launched in India on Tuesday. There was also a panel discussion, conducted by Carter Pilcher, CEO of Shorts International. Arun Unni, Chief Content, Officer of Tata Sky, Kristina Reed, a film producer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Indian actress Rasika Dugal and filmmaker Jon Bloom were also part of it. Talking about the inception of the short film Chutney , Rasika said: “The film’s maker Tisca Chopra, who is also a well-known actress, and I were irritated that none of our films, mostly independent, got enough exposure and good releases because those films never got good distributors at the time of their release.” [caption id=“attachment_5633381” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Still from Chutney. Image from Facebook[/caption] “So we decided to do something about it instead of cribbing over it. Tisca wrote the story of Chutney and then we made the film and offered ourselves the kind of roles that we, women, deserve.” However, she added: “I did not get paid for it because here… that is the reality of short films when someone wants to make content that is different from mainstream. But it is great how the short got views and recognition, thanks to digital platforms.” Reed, producer of the Oscar-winning short animation film Feast, said what’s amazing about short films is that one can make it with fewer resources. “But what is important to know because everyone can make films with fewer resources. It is important to choose the best one to put out on the bigger platform. It is great to see how Shorts International is calling and curating some of the phenomenal short films. They really separate out those gems from thousands of short films.” Bloom explained the selection process of short films at the Academy Awards. He said: “The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of shorts made and of all of them match the level to be qualified to the international scale. We only choose the one that is exceptionally good. “There are two ways to get eligible for the Oscar competition - one, the film has to win an award at a film festival that we (the Oscar committee) not only recognise but also recognise the category. Secondly, the film should have a minimum one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles.” “Let me tell you, none of the processes are simple because every festival is very competitive and at times, filmmakers pay money to run a film at the theatre to get qualified for the Oscar competition. It is tough, very tough because we are choosing the best,” added the Governor of Short Films and Feature Animation Branch, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The discussion was followed by the screening of four short films - Feast, Jackie Shroff-starrer Indian short Shunyata, The Eleven O’Clock and The Phone Call.