International Cultural Exchange (ICE) is a non-profit organization designed to encourage talented artists, technicians and related community in reaching out to their audience around the world. As a part of this endeavour, ICE is holding this digital short film festival to encourage experimentation in the minds of filmmakers and also for cinematic outreach. The festival aims to be an open forum for those who are passionate about cinema and especially short film culture. It will allow them to enjoy a wide array of films from India as well as abroad. The competition section of this festival is also poised to be a hand picked selection of some great short films from the country as well as abroad.
We have initiated the Fest for promotion of digital filmmaking in India and also to take these films to a larger and varied audience around the world. This is the 10th year of the Fest and we’re having a fantastic response from the filmmakers for the last few years. Overall we have received 500 short films from India and abroad from the initiation of the festival 9 years back. The motive behind holding it in a multiplex is that we believe that these short films are not just for ‘intellectual property or art film enthusiasts’ but for everyone, since they are very professionally done and are very enlightening as well as entertaining.
ICE as a next generation youth brand
Patrons at ICE consist of digital filmmakers, enthusiastic audience and various supporters. Since ICE is a youth activity, a large number of youngsters who are patrons of digital revolution definitely come and enjoy the happenings at ICE.
Taking ICE around the world
In the ongoing process of taking these short films around the world, we have promotional shows of the best short films from the festival, and one of them happened in Cupertico, California on 10th and 11th Feb 2007. The show was organised in association with California Arts Association (CALAA) who hosted the show for us. It is the start of ICE going international by taking these short films to a foreign audience in our cultural exchange endeavour.
We’re also contacting several film clubs, enthusiasts and support groups for the festival. A part of the same includes communicating with entities around the world who can share their short films for screening with us and we would be more than glad to reciprocate the same from our side.
ICE 2015: The 10th Year in a celebration of digital short filmmaking
ICE 2015 is being planned to raise the bar for a digital short film festival. The event will host more this time around, viz. a larger number of quality films, a larger audience and reach, extra screenings and promotions of awarded films, crucial tie ups, associations and branding. All in all, a complete package to express, celebrate and spread the short film lingo through a varied audience.
Key Personnel:
Atul Kulkarni, popular actor and ICE honorary member
ICE Awards:
Following is a list of awards that ICE presents to winning filmmakers every year:
Open Category
Best Film 1st prize
Best Film 2nd prize
Best Film 3rd prize
Jury Award for Best Film- Exceptional achievement in filmmaking
Student Category
Best Film 1st prize
Best Film 2nd prize
Best Film 3rd prize
Jury Award for Best Film- Exceptional achievement in filmmaking
Team ICE (Organising Committee & Event Managers):
Samar Nakhate – Festival Director
Atul Patwardhan – Secretary, ICE