The Tamil Short Film Festival returns for its third year with eight movies to be screened at Mercury Theatre in Auckland.
Started by TASMANZ (Tamil Short Movie Association New Zealand) in 2015, the festival gained immense momentum across the community in its inaugural year. TASMANZ comprises directors and creative personalities committed to supporting the creation of short films in the Tamil community of New Zealand. It was formed by a group of young professionals, who have a passion for making films. The annual film festival gives an opportunity to aspiring film-makers, actors, musicians, cinematographers, and writers to showcase their work on the big screen.
The short film competition received seven submissions in the first year. The film Ninaivirukkum Varai won the 2015 competition and was selected in the Top 10 category at the International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) for Tamil Short Film Competition in London from among several entries from all over the world. The winner of the following year, Kanthaha Medu,was screened in the theatre across four European countries.
Young film-makers register for the competition in December and then work on their film for the next four months. As per the rules, the films have to be shot in New Zealand only. Submissions are accepted by the jury until April 30, which are then sent to the labelling body and judges, who are based in France.
The 2017 festival will be held on Saturday, July 8 at Mercury Theatre where eight top movies selected by the jury will be screened. The festival will also witness a red carpet event and a ceremony awarding the best film to acknowledge the efforts of the film-makers and artists.
After the festival, all films submitted will be screened at selected theatres around major cities in New Zealand.
This year, 12 teams are participating, and in the next few years, TASMANZ expects at least 15 teams.
“We are not just encouraging the growth in numbers but in collaboration and quality too. We want these small groups to merge into production companies and studios someday,” Ms Amuthini Prasanna, an executive member for TASMANZ, said.
The association also hosts workshops to help young minds polish their creative skills. The workshops help individuals network with others from the same field.
Last year, TASMANZ conducted free workshops on scriptwriting, casting, acting, and film editing along with a special acting class for children. This year, the association is running acting and directing workshops that are priced at $15 for each session.
Attendees at the TASMANZ workshop
“We will also be running directing and music workshops on how to use tools to layer and create emotions and drama in a film,” Ms Prasanna added.
Prominent Tamil screenplay writer Ahilan Karunaharan, director Padma Akula—who has worked as an assistant director on Mani Ratnam’s 2010 hit film Raavanan and currently working as a creative director for her production company in New Zealand—and actor Abbas Ali were special guests for the 2016 film festival.
“We want people of the Asian descent to enter these (creative) professions and not be pressured into becoming what is expected for us to follow. We have many doctors, [engineers] lawyers, but there is a dearth of creative artists in the community,” Ms Amuthini said.
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