(12 October 2007 3:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Buzz18.com, the entertainment website of Web18 group, has tied up with Pritish Nandy Communications to organize a Short Film Contest, which it hopes will encourage the budding talent in the movie making industry.

The contest will vouch to be a platform for talented yet unnoticed film makers to showcase their caliber and make their dreams come true.

Interested candidates have to simply upload a fiction short film, which should not be more than 10 minutes, on the special window created exclusively for the initiative namely - 'The Short Cut'. Post the candidates upload their entrees, till 20 October, a jury with a host of eminent personalities in the industry will scrutinize the same.

Rongita Pritish Nandy (Creative Director, Pritish Nandy Communications), Prahlad Kakar (Ad film maker), Paromita Vohra (film maker and screenplay writer) and Ruchi Narain (film director) will be part of the judging process.

The best amongst the short-listed entrees will get an exclusive contract with the Pritish Nandy Communication for one film, apart from a cash prize.

Buzz18 editor Chandrima Pal said, "Shortcut, the Buzz18 short film fest is a project close to my heart. It was one of the earliest initiatives for buzz18, something we got started on even before we launched. This was done to provide all those aspiring filmmakers a platform for showcasing their work. A platform that is neutral, unbiased and is accessible to people across the world. But rather than just be a window to their creative world, we wanted to give a certain direction to the effort, a gratification that is not just a certificate that languishes in a forgotten corner.

"Thanks to PNC we are now giving away three film contracts to the winners, which in itself would be the best break any filmmaker could hope for. Plus there is cash to be won too! So far we have received quite a few brilliant entries from across the country, simply by word of mouth publicity. The response has been an eye opener of sorts, and we are looking forward to scale up the entire effort."