‘Wait For it’ wins Deccan Herald’s Flash Film Challenge

Bengaluru: ‘Wait For It, a five-minute film that brings out the contradiction between how people present themselves and who they actually are, won Deccan Herald’s Flash Film Challenge organised as part of the third edition of the Bengaluru 2040 Summit on Saturday.

Directed by a PhD scholor and film enthusiast Vallabha, the film won a cash prize of Rs 50,000.

The second and third prizes were bagged by Panjarada Gili, directed by Chandana Nag, and Modala Bheti, directed by Gagan Chirayu. They recieved cash prizes of Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000, respectively.

The participants had to direct, shoot, edit and submit a short film based on the given themes within 50 hours of announcement.

The themes for this year’s Flash Film Challenge were 'Kitchen conversations – You are more than what you eat' and 'Gridlocked – A lot can happen over a weekend jam'. The themes were unveiled at 6 pm on January 25 and submissions were accepted till 8 pm, January 27.

To confirm that the films were shot within the given period and avoid the submission of films previously shot, the teams were asked to use content from Deccan Herald’s print edition or website as a prop in the film.

The submissions were judged by a three-member panel: Shashank Soghal, the Director of Daredevil Musthafa; Sandhya Kumar, National Award-winning documentary filmmaker; and cinematographer Karm Chawla.

The films were judged on 10 parameters: script, direction, cinematography, editing, music or sound design, production design, acting, interpretation of theme, concept and execution and the use of mandatory prop.

Soghal said it was the theme and storytelling that stood out in Wait For It, and praised its well-crafted climax. “Loved the way the film carried the suspense until the end,” he said.

Praising the exploration of storytelling through metaphors in Panjarada Gili, which essentially depicts the orthodox idea of confining women to the kitchen, Soghal said: “The film went beyond the given theme and added multiple layers to the story. The storytelling was simply musical.”

Soghal acknowledged that the actors in Modala Bheti appeared professional and noted that the story was light-hearted and the acting delightful.

All films will soon be made available on Deccan Herald’s YouTube channel.