Short films made for a cause

Do you want to address a social issue and take it to a wide range of audience at the same time? Then, a short film could do the trick for you. Filmmakers in Coimbatore are increasingly taking to short films to address issues plaguing the society. Unlike feature films, which require a whopping sum for the production, short films can do the trick with a much lesser amount, but at the same time, spread the message across to a large audience.
For producer Rajeshkumar R, it was a chance encounter with director Kiran Kumar that led to the making of the short film, Virgin, which was screened in the city recently. “I run a private detective agency and I come across many issues while on the job. When Kiran Kumar, director of Virgin approached me with the script, which revolves around child sex education, I just couldn’t say no. It was an issue that needed to be addressed at the earliest, especially to the parents of young children. The film was purely made for non-commercial purposes. We had earlier made a short film, titled Abhijit, which revolved around blood donation.”
Ramesh Venkat, on the other hand, loves the recognition that comes with the films. “My short film titled Rajini, which is yet to be released online, was screened for celebrities like director Chimbudevan and Suresh Krissna. Now, the Baasha director is helping us bring it to the attention of the Superstar himself. The film revolves around a Rajini fan, who realizes the value of education toward the end of the plot. The antagonist from the feature film Madras, Nandakumar plays a crucial role in it,” says Ramesh, who has also made a short film titled Aram Seiya Virumbu that revolves around hunger.
These filmmakers stress that short films are an easy medium to reach across a wide range of audience. Moreover, they do not require a huge budget. “In fact, Armour, a 5-minute short film on women safety, which was shot within 101 hours, was made out of my pocket money. We circulated it online on International Women’s Day (March 8). When we make a short film for a cause, we do not look at the returns. Sometimes, sponsors pitch in and help us get visibility. Even if not, we make sure that the message gets across, by screening at college and other events. The recognition also buys us some time for experimentation in our respective households,” says filmmaker Vijay Anand TR.
Some of these short films, like Arjun Patil’s maiden venture 3G and Vijay Anand’s Gnamali have been screened at many short film festivals in the country & abroad and have even bagged awards. “3G tries to stress upon the fact that transgenders are normal people and are full of positive energy just like others. My second film Drum, on the other hand, deals with how overdoing a prank can go horribly wrong. It’s a thriller set in the college backdrop,” says Arjun. Gnamali is a poignant tale of stray dogs and their apathetic situation in our society. “The word ‘Gnamali’ is an uncustomary Tamil term for dog. The film revolves around SV Geetha Rani, who takes care of 200 stray dogs at her home in the outskirts of the city,” says Vijay, who also has to his credit, a musical shortie, Prayer of Stray that also revolves around dogs.
When quizzed if the message indeed reached the target audience, he explains, “We do get lot of personal calls after a screening or uploading the film online. Social networking sites play a crucial role in spreading the message across. This apart, when the content is good, sponsors come forward to produce the film, which in turn, helps us reach a larger audience.”