Movies
Yes Foundation organises social film movement
MUMBAI: Yes Foundation, the social development arm of Yes Bank, is giving the public an opportunity to select the winners of India’s largest social film movement – YES! I am the CHANGE.
The top 50 short film entries have been shortlisted and will now compete for the Indian social filmmaking challenge 2014. The five minute long films represent the true spirit of positive social change and touched on social topics including education, women’s safety, women empowerment, animal care and responsible citizenship.
The main aim of this campaign is to spread mass awareness about social causes through the thought provoking films made by youth participants. Over 72,000 viewers have already participated and voted for the popular choice awards. The public can watch the films Yes Foundation India’s YouTube channel and vote for their favourite film. The film with the largest number of likes will be adjudged the winner. Voting ends on 31 January 2015.
The top three winners of the YES! I am the CHANGE popular choice awards will receive prizes worth Rs 25,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.
This programme is mentored by eminent filmmakers and educationists including Shoojit Sircar, Vikramaditya Motwane, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Pritish Nandy, Guneet Monga, Kailash Surendranath, Dr. Indu Shahani, Dr. Nagesh Rao and Nina Lath amongst others.
Movies
Amay Mehrishi’s short film Abracadabra premieres at Berlinale 2026
London Film School project screens in Generations Kplus at Berlin festival.
MUMBAI: Sometimes the biggest stories unfold in the smallest spaces. In this case, on a school bus. Emerging filmmaker Amay Mehrishi made his international debut with the short film Abracadabra, which premiered at the 76th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival in the Generations Kplus section. The film was developed as Mehrishi’s Master’s graduation project at the London Film School.
Set entirely during a single ride home on a moving school bus, the story centres on twelve year old Agastya, whose day takes an unexpected emotional turn when his best friend Naman chooses to sit somewhere else. What begins as a seemingly small moment slowly unfolds into a delicate exploration of childhood friendship, identity and guilt.
A simple magic trick threads through the narrative, giving the film its title while quietly tying together the emotional shifts that unfold during the journey. The storytelling leans on observation and restraint, capturing the fragile inner world of growing up without grand gestures.
Filming the project came with its own creative constraints. The entire production took place inside a bus in motion and featured 32 young non actors aged between seven and thirteen, bringing a naturalistic feel to the film’s classroom like ensemble.
The world premiere at Berlinale received warm applause from a multi generational audience. Several viewers shared that the film evoked memories of their own childhood journeys and friendships.
Mehrishi described the festival premiere as a major milestone in his early filmmaking career.
“With its world premiere at Berlinale, our film received an immense platform and a global audience to begin its journey. It is a dream as a filmmaker to be considered for such a prestigious festival, and hopefully it will open doors for the entire team,” he said.
Following the debut, Mehrishi has begun developing a satirical drama and has also started research on his first feature film, with plans to work across both independent and commercial cinema in the coming years.
