ShortsTV dedicated to short films launched in India

ShortsTV channel dedicated to short films was officially launched in India on Tuesday 27th November 2018 in Mumbai. The launch event was hosted by Mr. Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of Shorts International Ltd (the owner of ShortsTV) and an Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) Member.

The special guests for the evening were Mr. Jon Bloom, Oscar-nominated short film producer/director and current AMPAS Governor (Short Film and Feature Animation branch), and Ms. Kristina Reed, Oscar-winning producer of the Disney animated short film, ‘Feast’. Both guests traveled to India from Los Angeles especially to attend the launch events.

In addition, the evening was graced by personalities and celebrities from the Indian film fraternity, including Radhika Apte, Rasika Duggal, Pooja Gor and Shweta Rohira.

The evening started with an interesting panel discussion on the short film industry in India and around the world. The panel consisted of Mr. Jon Bloom, Ms. Kristina Reed, Actress Rasika Duggal, Arun Unni (Chief Content Officer, Tata Sky) and it was moderated by Mr. Carter Pilcher.

The conversation started on how the market share and popularity of short films is growing. The discussion enveloped the importance of film festivals in a country and their prominence leading to films getting recognition internationally.

Mr. Jon Bloom noted how no Indian film festivals are currently accredited by the Oscars, which means if an Indian film wins an award at a local film festival they are not automatically considered for an Oscar – the highest award in film. Mr. Carter Pilcher emphasized ShortsTV’s goal of working with Indian short film festivals to get them recognized by the Oscars so that more Indian films can have the potential to win an Oscar in the future. Ms. Rasika Duggal concluded the discussion by highlighting how new platforms like ShortsTV are also helping independent filmmakers reach wider audiences.