Bengaluru International Short Film Festival’s 16th edition raises the bar with global themes, a new dance-focused category

What stood out to us most this year was the sheer quality of the films. BISFF has always attracted exceptional submissions but this edition felt different. The overall standard was remarkably high and it made the curation one of the most challenging we’ve experienced. We often returned to the same films, watched them again, discussed them at length and re-evaluated our choices. It wasn’t about finding good films; it was about choosing among so many deserving ones. We wanted every filmmaker to receive a fair, thoughtful evaluation and for the final selection to reflect the strongest work we received this year. In terms of themes, it’s always fascinating to see how filmmakers from completely different parts of the world respond to similar realities. Without any coordination, many were exploring the same concerns through very different stories. We noticed several films dealing with war and its lasting impact, stories seen through the eyes of children and narratives that questioned crime, justice and morality. While each film was rooted in its own culture and context — those shared themes kept emerging, reminding us how universal many of today’s concerns have become

Cinema has always found new ways to tell stories and dance is one of the most instinctive forms of expression we have. With Dancing Lens, we wanted to create a space for films where movement isn’t simply choreography or performance, but the story itself. What’s fascinating is that these films communicate across cultures without relying heavily on language. A gesture, a pause or even the way a body occupies a space can reveal emotion with incredible honesty. In a short film, where every frame matters, movement becomes an especially powerful storytelling tool. It invites audiences to feel the narrative rather than follow it. For us, this section is about recognising that storytelling isn’t confined to words. Sometimes the most profound stories are the ones that are experienced rather than spoken.

A major pitfall faced by filmmakers is when they try to over-complicate a plot, storyline, themes, etc, in a short film. When the narrative takes too much of the space, the film ends up failing to deliver what it initially meant to achieve. The most successful short films embrace clarity and restraint, focusing on a single idea, emotion or narrative rather than trying to fit everything that a feature-length movie contains.

If I had to choose one, it would be Murder at Monkey Hill (1976) by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. What makes it even more remarkable is that it was made as his student film at FTII. Every time I revisit it, I’m amazed by how ambitious and assured it is. The use of a twocamera setup, the inventive camera angles and the way it builds a compelling crime narrative in just 25 minutes demonstrate an extraordinary understanding of cinematic language. It’s a reminder that great filmmaking isn’t defined by the scale of production or the length of the film but by the strength of vision.