Taking a shot at short films; Shamiana Arts

Good things come in small packages and so do movies. Short films have become a rage these days with several aspiring filmmakers trying out their hand at this medium of storytelling. It’s crisp, precise, engaging and most importantly brief. Welcome to Shamiana Arts - a platform that connects short filmmakers and short film lovers from all around the world to indulge in a cinematic rendezvous. With a team of 50 people, Shamiana is present across 10 cities and have featured in major film festivals like IFFI, Kala Ghoda and India Fest. They are also a regular partcipant at various college fests.

Cyrus Dastur, the founder of Shamiana Arts, talks to YourStory on how Shamiana is carving a niche for itself in the film fraternity by bringing the disorganized short film society together, on a common dais.

Although, India has one of the largest film industries in the world, there are very few platforms in the country that allow short-film makers to showcase their talent and more importantly a forum where budding directors can discuss their films.

“The idea was to bring the disorganized short film industry across the spectrum together. And we have successfully managed to do that to a large extent, though there's a lot of work still to be done. Each season brings in new people and new ideas,” Dastur tells YourStory in a candid interview.

Right through his school days, Dastur has been an active participant and an admirer of the theatre world.  After his graduation, Dastur pursued a Master’s degree in commercial law and also writes a weekly column for Bombay Mirror on art and entertainment.

“Shamiana had its first screening in a small café in Mumbai in 2009 and ever since, it has been a fun filled journey,” says Dastur. Every day, almost a dozen short films are uploaded on their Facebook page. Shamiana is also planning to launch its own YouTube channel soon.

“I always tell people to dream. Sadly in this country, we've stopped dreaming. We’re too caught up in little things and we keep changing goalposts. That should change,” Dastur exclaims.

Dastur and his venture Shamiana Arts are leaving no stones unturned to help film-lovers take notice of the innumerable short films that our talented young directors make every year, but often get unnoticed under the glamour of our mainstream commercial cinema. We, at YourStory.in wish to congratulate them and their team on the amazing work they have done so far and pray that they continue to get bigger and better in the time to come. For the time being, I am off to their page to get my shortcut to entertainment.

Aothor: Krishnakali Sengupta