CULT Short Film Awards (CSFA) – 2023
Terms & Conditions and Application Form
CULT Short Film Awards invites short films
for its ‘Short Film Competition and Awards– 2023’, which aims at recognizing the creative efforts towards becoming aspiring mainstream filmmakers through their short films through our unique industry-bridging platform.
The film may be in any technical format. The Short Film should be in the Kannada language with subtitles in English.
There will be 6 genres and 4 categories. For each genre and category, there will be Trophy, Participation Certification, and a surprise gift for the selected first second, and third-best short film. The Commission, in addition to three cash awards, Top viewers voting and jury recommendations will be considered for the top best threes.
The terms and references of the Competition are as follows:
i. Who can compete: Any Kannadiga from any part of the world can send his/her entry.
There is no bar on the number of films sent by an individual to compete in the CULT Short Film Awards. However, each application should have one film only and films sent once for the CSFA competition may not compete again under new genres and categories. The short film being sent for this competition should not be on social media platform(s).
The applicant should attach his/her identity, such as Aadhar Card, Voter Identity Card, PAN Card, Driving License, or any other valid proof of identity issued by a Government authority.
ii. Entry Fee: There is no entry fee.
iii. Theme of the film: Human rights issues*. Each entry should accompany a brief theme and synopsis of the film.
iv. Language of the film: Any Indian language with subtitles in English or in English.
v. Duration of the film: The duration of the short film should not be less then 3 minutes and more than 10 minutes.
vi. Short Film format: Short films may be in any form (fiction and animation) shot with any device or camera set-up (in MP4 format, Full HD (1080p) or 1920X1820p). Preferably, the size of the short film being sent for the competition should not be more than 1 GB. Short Films shot with a Smartphone should be in HD format, and the file size should be more than 1 GB.
vii. Title & Credits: Each film should depict its title and credits, including the names of the producer, writer, and director.
viii. Jury: A Jury will select the winners of the most voted short films.
ix. Distribution of Award: The onus will be on the applicant that he/she is the only authorized representative to send the entry for the Awards. In case of the selection of the film for an award, it will be given to the applicant only. The CSFA will, in no way, be responsible for any dispute arising out of it. The CSFA will give the award money through cheque only in the name of the applicant. The award money cheque may be issued in the name of a company or a production house only if it is stated to be so by the applicant in his application form.
x. Undertaking
The applicant in the proforma application will have to give an undertaking as follows:
“I ___________, son/daughter of ________, resident of __________, hereby declare that as the ‘Applicant’, I have the right to send the film, as per details given above, for competing in the CSFA’s short film competition20223. I have read all the terms and conditions of the Competition and agree with them and give the CSFA the right to use the film for any purpose it deems fit including uploading on its website/social media. In case of any dispute, the onus will be on me only and not the CSFA to deal with the issue at my end”
xi. Lodging & boarding:
a) The CSFA will invite only the applicants of the award-winning films to receive the awards in Bengaluru at a date to be conveyed in due course of time but lodging and boarding should be the applicants only.
xi. Method to apply:
a) The applicant should have a Gmail account with Google drive access.
b) Duly filled-in application form along with requisite documents, Film and its themes and synopsis should be uploaded in the folder of Google Drive with the title “Short Film Award-2023, <name of applicant/ Production house>”. The link to the folder of Google drive should be forwarded through Email on
CSFA email: – cultfilmawards@gmail.com (No hard copy of the application or DVD/Pen drive is required). The applicant must write his/her complete postal address, telephone and mobile number in the Email.
xii. Mode of dispatch: Entries can be sent online only.
xiii. Last date – The entries received after the 15th of March, 2023 at 06:00 PM, will not be entertained.
xiv. Screening Rights: CSFA, India will have the right to use the films for any purpose it deems fit including uploading these on its website/social media. An undertaking in this regard, as given in the application form, must be duly signed and a scanned copy should be uploaded. However, the participants may continue to have their rights to their films and may be free to participate in any other competitions/festivals after the final event CSFA to be held by the end of
March or at the beginning of July 2023 tentatively.
xv. Invalid entries: Incomplete forms and entries, not fulfilling the terms and conditions, as above, will be treated as invalid and may not be considered for the competition. However, the CSFA may not return them.
xvi. Results: The results of the competition will be uploaded on the website of the CSFA, i.e., www.CultFilm.in
xvii. Posters of the film: The applicant whose film is shortlisted for the award will require to send a colored poster (A-3 size) of the film depicting the title of the film, a brief theme in English, and names of the main crew, only in soft copy.
* The themes of short films could be broadly based on various socio- economic, cultural, and political rights. The short film could be a dramatization of real stories or a work of fiction, in any technical format, including animation, within the ambit of the right to life, liberty, equality and dignity and covering issues specific to bonded and child labor, women & children’s rights, rights of elderly persons, disabled rights, manual scavenging, right to healthcare, issues of fundamental freedoms, human trafficking, domestic violence, and human rights violation due to police atrocities, custodial violence and torture, socio-economic disparities, rights of indigenous people, prison reforms, right to education, right to clean environment, right to work, right to equality before the law, right to food and nutritional security, rights of LGBTI, human rights violations due to displacement on account of either man-made or natural calamity, etc.
** Application Form for CSFA’s short film competition– 2023
(All entries are to be made in capital letters)
Name of the Applicant :
Father’s/Mother’s name :
Nationality :
Proof of the Identity of the applicant. Please tick mark(√) as applicable & attach self-attested photocopy.
Aadhar Card/Voter ID/PAN Card/ Driving License/other valid proof of identity issued by a Govt. Authority:
Postal address with telephone/ Mobile numbers and e-mail address :
Occupation (if a student, please write so):
Title of the short film :
Theme & Synopsis of the short film (Please attach a separate sheet) :
Duration of the short film(should not be less than 03 minutes and more than 10 minutes):
Language of the short film :
Whether having sub-titles in English? Please write: “Yes/No”
Whether the film carries title credits? Please write “Yes/No”:
Is the film being sent for the first time to the NHRC Competition? Please write “Yes/No” :
Undertaking
I ____________________, son/daughter of _______________________, resident of _____________________________, hereby declare that as the ‘Applicant’, I have the right to send the film, as per the details given above, for competing in the CSFA’s short film competition 2023. I have read all theterms and conditions of the Competition and agree with them and give the CSFA has the right to use the film for any purpose it deems fit including uploading it on its website/social media. In case of any dispute, the onus will be on me only and not the CSFA to deal with the issue at my end.
Signature of the applicant ______________________
Name of the applicant __________________________________
The Largest Kannada Short Film Awards For Kannadigas For Kannada Short Films!
The CULT Short Film Awards is a one-of-its-kind platform form to bridge short filmmakers aspiring to become a director to make mainstream films with film industry professionals.
Short Film Awards (CSFA) is born with the purpose to create a platform for visual storytellers, filmmakers, writers, and other technicians to showcase their talent to the world and the active film industry professionals, production houses to full fill their aspirations to become a mainstream film director.
Filmmakers buckle up and get ready to make use of this wonderful opportunity and create your fortune.
Best wishes from the team at the Short Film Awards!