NHRC opens entries for 7th annual short films competition

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday said it has opened entries for its annual thematic short films competition.

The entries have been invited online only. The last date to receive the entries is October 15, the NHRC said in a statement.

The aim of this competition is to encourage and acknowledge cinematic and creative efforts of the citizens, irrespective of their age, towards the promotion and protection of human rights, officials said.

The prize money for the three cash awards, which was doubled last year, stands at Rs 2 lakh, Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 1 lakh for the first, second and third positions, respectively, along with the certificates, they said.

There is no entry fee or bar on the number of films being sent by an individual for participation in the contest. However, participants will have to send each film separately with duly filled in application forms, which is available on the website of the commission.

The short films may be in any Indian language with subtitles in English, or in the English language. The duration of the short film should not be less than three minutes or more than 10 minutes. The short film could be a documentary, dramatisation of real stories or a work of fiction, in any technical format, including animation, the rights panel said in a statement.

The themes of the films, having a tinge of human rights perspective, could be broadly based on various socio-economic, cultural and political rights, within the ambit of right to life, liberty, equality and dignity, it said.

The films may cover issues specific to bonded and child labour, women and children’s rights, rights of elderly persons, disabled, right to healthcare, issues of fundamental freedoms, human trafficking, domestic violence, human rights violation due to police atrocities, rights of LGBTI, human rights violation due to displacement on account of either man-made or natural calamity, among others, it added.