Film Bengaluru is a film festival organized in partnership with the UNESCO MGIEP focusing on the theme of “Kindness Matters”. Kindness goes a long way in making life a joyful experience. “Kindness Matters” is not just an idea but an experience that makes us human. So why not showcase this with your creativity and vision on cinema?

Film Bengaluru invites submissions of films in formats such as feature length films, short films, animations, documentaries and children’s films keeping in mind the theme of “Kindness Matters”. Films bring us together and kindness bonds us together, and a film festival rooted in kindness is a reason for celebration! Let us celebrate kindness!

Film Bengaluru will be held at UB City from the 14th to the 17th of November. Growing up, we fondly remember the 14th of November as ‘Children’s Day’ in India. In the spirit of this, the 14th of November will exclusively screen children’s films with a performance by the My Earth band. The remainder of the festival will be open to all explorations in film engaging with the theme “Kindness Matter”.

Kindness is everywhere and so are our stories. We would love to hear your story from wherever you are! Film Bengaluru accepts entries from all over the world and we are eager for your story of kindness. Film Bengaluru being a film festival rooted here in the city encourages Bengaluru based films and film makers to showcase their stories by sending in their entries. Along with curated selections of film screenings, Film Bengaluru will host panel discussions on cinema and kindness featuring eminent personalities along with opening the stage to captivating live performances by stellar artists.

Uzma Irfan is the director of corporate communications at the Prestige Group. Ever since her early days at Prestige from 2007, she has has overseen massive expansions and diversifications of the Prestige Group. Uzma Irfan is responsible for Marketing Communication, Corporate Communication, Branding and all image related initiatives for the Group. With a keen eye for detail and aesthetics, Uzma Irfan dedicates her time towards art, curation, branding and design. She supports young artists while never missing an opportunity to showcase their work. Uzma has also successfully established a media-buying house ‘Sublime’ to help manage the diverse advertising needs of the Group. She developed the widely-popular ‘Falcon News’, the company’s quarterly newsletter which has grown to become a recognized magazine with a circulation of over 15,000 for customers and stake-holders at India and abroad.

During her stint, the Prestige Group secured a lion’s share of various industry and media awards including national & international recognitions. Uzma Irfan has single-handedly championed this effort and the awards’ list includes reputed organisations like FIABCI, CNBC, Cityscape, CREDAI and PRCI to name a few. On a personal note, Uzma Irfan is an avid traveller, loves reading and cooking.

Srinivasa Santhanam is the quintessential film enthusiast. A film graduate from the prestigious Film & Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Srinivasa Santhanam has worked in the field of television and Southern film industry. His experience with cinema is a reflection of his time with documentary making with Films Division of India and an incredible 15 year stint with the International Film Festival of India. As a master at curating films, his involvement with film festivals have been exciting and inspiring. He has also worked as the Chief Programmer for the Mumbai Film Festival, Program Director for the Pune International Film Festival, and Advisor and Programmer for the Chennai International Film Festival and the Lucknow CMS International Children’s Film Festival among others.

His vast experience with stints at Films Division & International Film Festival of India have enabled him to successfully mentor and curate numerous film festivals across India, including the International Film Festival of India, as well as ones in the international arena.

Ricky Kej is a Bangalore based Grammy® wining USA Billboard #1 musician, producer, environmentalist and academician. A life long musician with concerts in over 25 countries, Ricky Kej orients his expression of soulful world music with a message of conservation and environmental consciousness. He is the UNESCO-MGIEP ‘Global Ambassador for Kindness’, the UNCCD ‘Land Ambassador’, UNICEF ‘Celebrity Supporter’ and a recipient to numerous awards and recognitions globally. As a musician, Ricky Kej has an impressive discography of 15 studio albums, including the Grammy® winning ‘Winds of Samsara’ and the massive musical extravaganza ‘Shanti Samsara’, select film music and music for numerous advertisement placements. His live shows are incredible productions that set the bar for live musical and visual experiences.

Ricky Kej is a professor at the acclaimed National Institute of Advanced Studies (at the Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore. He is named in the prestigious ‘Real Leaders 100 List’- Real Leaders being a signatory of the United Nations. Ricky Kej’s efforts at raising awareness has led him to travel far and wide, enabling spectacular and inspiring compositions on environmentalism, peace, kindness and sustainability, keeping in mind that his music is conceptually accessible and enjoyable across all age groups.

Anantha Duraiappah is the inaugural director of the UNESCO- Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable (MGIEP), a premiere research institute and UNESCO’s first category 1 research institute in the Asia-Pacific region based in New Delhi, India. Anantha Duraiappah is an experienced environmental development economist. He received his PhD in economics from the University of Texas in Austin, USA. He is a prominent academician and policy expert with over 33 years of experience coupled with being a renowned author.

Anantha Duraiappah is a fellow of theWorld Academy of Arts and Sciences (WAAS), a founding fellow of the Human Development and Capability Association and a visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan. He strives to make education fun-relevant and not for the sake of simply building human capital. Anantha Duraiappah strives to position the UNESCO MGIEP as the key research institute on using neurosciences research for building competencies in critical inquiry, mindfulness, empathy, kindness and compassion in our young individuals.

1. Only the producer or rights holder can apply for participation.

2. Films not presenting sufficient technical qualities for average public screening will be rejected.

3. Only English subtitled screening materials are accepted for films created in languages other than English.

4. Participants must ensure that they have the right to participate in the Festival with regard to necessary permissions from parties connected with the production/distribution of the participating film and/or other right holders/licensees.

5. Selection of films by the committee/Jury will be final.

6. No screening or Administration fee is paid to films selected for competition/screening.

7. Once the film is submitted for selection, it cannot be withdrawn from participation.

8. Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of the above Regulations.

9. The Festival reserves the right to exclude films which are not in conformity with the aims and objectives of the Festival, or films which could offend national feelings of any participating country, or likely to promote racial discrimination.

10. Online screeners, DVDs in DCP, MP4 or Blu Ray formats have to reach the festival office along with the online entry form duly filled and signed on or before September 30 2019 – 5.00 p.m. IST.

Selection Criteria:
Entries are invited for the following Categories: Feature length fiction and documentary films (60 minutes plus) Short fiction/Documentary and Animation (maximum duration of 20 minutes)

Selection of Films:
Feature Films: Maximum six feature length films will be selected for the competition and if the festival does not receive good quality films, the festival management maycancel this competitive category. However on the recommendations of the preview committee few films may be included in the non competition section of feature length films.

Short Films:
The festival will select maximum 10 films in each category for the competition and other recommended films by the preview committee will be included in the non competition section.

Awards:
There will be no cash award. A trophy and a certificate will be awarded for the best, second best, best director and special Jury award for each category. The decision of the Festival management will be final and no correspondences will be entertained with regard to the selection and awards.

No screening fee is paid for selected films and the film-maker is requested to read this clause and submit the film.