RV University’s Teen Indie Film Awards (TIFA) 2023 winners announced

Bangalore : Teen Indie Film Awards (TIFA), a platform that recognises and celebrates excellence, ideation and creativity in film production announced the nine films that bagged top positions in various categories across Politics, Censorship, and World Cinema Retrospective. TIFA is an annual platform for students from across the world to showcase their creativity and filmmaking skills. The second edition of TIFA was conducted at the RV University campus, with participation from more than 70 entries from across the world. 

Prof. (Dr.) Piyush Roy Professor and Founding Dean School of Liberal Arts and Sciences emphasized, “What had started as an experiment with 25 films featuring majority submissions from RVU schools in Year 1, has become a global film festival in Year 2 with 70 entries from five continents, including ov 50 debut films. This has been possible courtesy our enthusiastic faculty mentors and student leads and volunteers from the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and School of Design and Innovation. Thanks to the TIFA team, the festival is able to go beyond being another stimulating platform for student films to an all-around destination for thinking about cinema and its influence and opportunities today.” 

The  jury was graced by the presence of prominent film personalities comprising of Nandita Puri, Chairwoman, Om Puri Foundation, Christopher Dalton, film critic/essayist/festival advisor, Priyanka Sinha Jha, Author, Journalist and Co-Founder of Talkietive Content Creators and, Kabeer Khurana, Filmfare-nominated international film maker. 

Priyanka Sinha Jha, Journalist, Author and Jury member, expressed her enthusiasm for engaging with young filmmakers, viewing it as a remarkable chance to connect. She highlighted, “Filmmaking is a multi-faceted endeavor, encompassing various disciplines. Being a liberal arts university, the session holds immense relevance for the students.”

Furthermore, she emphasized the significance of maintaining a balance between the established norms of filmmaking and an individual’s values as a creator, particularly for cinema students.

The themes were chosen to encourage thought-provoking discussions and highlight the diverse perspectives within the realm of cinema. The event featured an exciting agenda filled with panel discussions, screenings of student short films, and masterclasses conducted by renowned industry professionals. 

Dr. Y.S.R. Murthy, the Vice Chancellor of RV University in Bengaluru, stated, “TIFA 2023 strives to facilitate networking between up-and-coming artists and industry experts, reviewers, and film enthusiasts. This interaction offers prospects for teamwork, evaluation, and guidance, empowering these artists to enhance their abilities and make a mark in the highly competitive realm of filmmaking. I extend my appreciation to the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the jury members, and the student organizing committee for their valuable contributions. I am also happy that TIFA23 has promoted Interdisciplinarity within RVU with enthusiastic participation of students and faculty members from different Schools. I compliment the Founder-Mentor and Curator, TIFA 2023 and Dean, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dr. Piyush Roy.”

TIFA 2023 showcased the creative talent of young filmmakers through screenings of a selection of their short films. This provided emerging artists with an opportunity to exhibit their unique storytelling abilities and connect with a wider audience. Furthermore, the masterclasses conducted by seasoned professionals offered invaluable knowledge and guidance to aspiring filmmakers, helping them refine their craft and navigate the industry with expertise.

Full List of Award Winners – 

• Best Film – Meiyu Song, Huzi, China

• Best Director – Konstantin Reber, Take Five, Switzerland

• Best Actor – Yashas Banakar, Teenage Short Film, India

• Best Story – Adya Reddy Yedulla, Kanasu

• Best Technical Achievement – Sumedh K., Anatma

• Special Mention – Andrew Tan, Banana Regeneration, Australia

• Best Film Essay & Documentary – Kk Rath: Celebration Of Life, India

• Best Ensemble – Far From Home, Spain

• Best Experimental Film – Kamya Sandeep Subramanya, The Carousel

The event also encountered the unveiling of the book authored by Priyanka Sinha Jha titled “Folk Tales from Bollywood” by Dr. Piyush Roy, Professor and Founding Dean School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and (Dr.) Dwarika Prasad Uniyal, Pro Vice Chancellor (Development & External Relations), Founding Dean, School of Business and School of Economics, RV University.

The event also witnessed the signing  of an MoU between Om Puri Foundation and RV University. 

Speaking on the partnership between Om Puri foundation and RV University, Nandita Puri added, “The Om Puri Foundation was founded in the name of Om Puri. He has done a lot of iconic films such as Bharathi Ghoj, which is based on Pandit Nehru’s history of inducing some of my films. We wanted to partner with RV University as we feel it is important to bring history to the forefront of students of liberal arts, mass media, film and get a vibe of good cinema. Together, we aim to ignite a passion for cinematic excellence, enabling students to embrace the transformative power of storytelling.”