For ten consecutive years, Marathi Film Parivar has held the Goa Short Film Festival 2023 to showcase the short film format to a wider audience. A story’s essence can be shown with a few minutes which can have a lifetime impact and that is how a short film works. Goans will get an opportunity to attend this free 10th Goa Short Film Festival at the Directorate of Art & Culture (Sanskruti Bhavan), Patto, Panjim, on November 4 and 5 from 9 am to 6 pm. The concluding day of the festival will have the award ceremony at 6 pm in the presence of the chief guest, Shrikant Kulkarni, a senior writer and film critic.
Yogesh Baraskar, festival director, says, “We
have a Goa based selection committee that goes through the films that we
receive throughout the year. Over the years, the popularity of the festival has
increased and we get entries from countries like Canada, United States of
America, United Arab Emirates and UK. The only two criteria required for
entries is that the film should be less than thirty minutes long and should
have English subtitles. The films are selected on the film making quality, good
screenplay and plot. The festival features short films in different languages
and in different categories like documentaries, feature films, non-fiction and
fiction films and even animated films.
Goan film, ‘The White Shirt’ directed by Vardhan Kamat and
produced by Mayur Surlakar, Kiran Phayade and Abhijit Sawant will be screened
on November 4. On November 5, ‘Mann Bhovta Khany tari’ directed by Mayur Kambli
and produced by Mayur Kambli, Raj Govekar, Pravin Parker will be screened
followed by ‘Vitthala Vitthala Vitthala’ directed by Sunny Naik, ‘Sadabahar’
directed by Suyash Kamat and the last Goan film will be ‘Re Mhajya manaa’
directed by Mayur Kambli.
‘The White Shirt’ is Vardhan Kamat’s eighth short film and was
screened at the International Film Festival of India in 2022. ‘The White Shirt
is about the perception of the society towards an individual. The film is a
journey that will teach us to be our encouraging selves, no matter the
circumstances, as the world will devise ways to find positives in negatives and
negatives within the positives,” Vardhan says. The film is produced by Mayur
Surlakar and the story is by Abhijit Sawant. The film was shot during the Covid
lockdown and the team found it difficult in finding locations as people were
hesitant to allow shooting in their homes.
‘Mann Bhovta Khai Tari (My mind ponders... Somewhere afar)’ is a
short film in a song. The Konkani song has story, screenplay and direction by
Mayur Vasanti Kambli and the cast includes Samikssha Desai and Siddhant
Kanekar. The lyrics is by Ambesh Talwadker and the song is sung by Rishabh
Sathe. The music composition is by Mandar Kelkar and Spanda studio while music
arrangement, mixing and mastering is by Sindhuraj Kamat and Dhwani Mangesh
studio – Kedar Manerikar.
The song revolves around Sameera’s first visit to home, since
she had married and moved to London. She is roaming around town, reminiscing
about her childhood, when suddenly her eyes stops at a missing person’s flyer.
It is a face she would never forget - Shreyas, her first love. Concerned
Sameera decides to see Shreyas’ mother. The distraught mother tearfully tells
Sameera that Shreyas hasn’t been home since the day of her wedding. Grief
stricken and confused, Sameera starts looking for him in all the places where
they used to meet, while they were together.
Ribandar-based Mayur is an engineer by profession but filmmaking
is his passion and we follows this hobby with the same level of dedication.
“Besides, the two short films, ‘Re Mhajya Manaa’ and ‘Mann Bhovta Khai Tari,’ I
also participated in the 72 hour challenge at IFFI in 2019. ‘The Conscience’
was a short film which won three awards, Best Cinematography, Best sound and
Best music at 72 hour challenge at Mini Movie Mania Short Film Competition,
IFFI,” says Mayur.
‘Re Mhajya Manaa’ which will also be screened at the Goa Short
Film Festival. The short film revolves around Riya. In an evening at Miramar
beach, Shreyas realizes that his beloved girlfriend Riya is not interested in
him anymore. Concerned about the relationship, Shreyas tries to convince her in
every possible way. But Riya is in no mood of listening to him and she walks
away in the middle of a conversation. Shreyas sits on the beach alone and
remembers a good phase of time in the past, which they had spent together.
Finally, anxious Shreyas decides to find out the truth behind the change in her
behaviour.
The cast of the video includes Vardhan Kamat, Urvi Ranade and
Veena Raut. The music is by Mandar Kelkar and Sindhuraj Kamat, the song is sung
is Rishabh Sathe, the song is edited by Dev Naik and Raj Govekar is the
cinematographer.
Merces-based Suyash Kamat’s ‘Sadabahar’ showcases a wedding
brass band of musicians from Uttar Pradesh living in Goa, who are displaced
from their rented room and have to search for a livelihood as well as a home in
a different state.
The film is written and directed by Suyash and the cast includes
Satish Gaonkar, Mahadev Krishna Sawant, Shravan Fondekar, Vijaykumar Kamat and
Jayesh Bagkar. The casting was by Kaustubh Naik and Siddhesh Naik. Suyash, is
currently completing his postgraduate in cinematography at the Satyajit Ray
Film & Television Institute, Kolkata.
Suyash has been a part of the film industry in Goa for over
eight years and his short film, ‘Marisoul’ was also screened at the
International Film Festival of India in 2017 and ‘Sadabahar’ will also be
screened at the International Film Festival of India, this year.
Sunny Naik’s short film, ‘Vitthala Vitthala Vitthala’ is a music
video that is a devotional song dedicated to Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur. “The
music video was released in 2021 in Marathi and the music is a blend of Indian
classical bhajan and rock music. A young boy after his breakup gets inspired by
Vasudev and writes own song for Lord Vitthala and while composing, he remembers
his past life where he was a devoted bhakt or sant. The video was shot at the
Sai Baba Temple in Borim,” says Sunny from Borim, Ponda.
The cast includes Sunny Naik, Ravindra Naik, Achal Naik, Sahiraj
Naik, Saish Borkar, Sankalp Naik, Chirag Naik and Ramdas Naik. The cinematography
is by Saish Naik Films and Photos and the lyrics, composition is by Sunny, who
also sang the song.
“My
song was released on YouTube, but this will be a wonderful experience as the
song will be screened in front of a live audience. It is very encouraging for
young filmmakers to see our talent and creative art getting appreciated while
also learning from other filmmakers whose short films will be screened at the
festival,” says Sunny.