60 Second Film Festival
Online, February 26, 2013 (Newswire.com) - 60 Second Film Festival that was launched back in October 2012, wrapped up on the 31st of January 2013. From submission of films, to public voting, and finally the judges' decisions, it has been exciting four months of work for the festival team and anxious wait for the participants. The first screening was held in Islamabad on 22nd February and the next screening is scheduled for Lahore on 28th February and 1st March, 2013.
Morango Films launched the festival for showcasing 60-second short-films based on social, developmental, entertainment and public service messages. The festival was intended to be a platform for upcoming artists and film directors from Pakistan, encouraging their talent and creating positive learning experiences.
Participant Furqan Shahid said about the festival - "I believe that 60 Second Film Festival is a pioneer festival, one of its kind; providing a great opportunity to young minds of Pakistan. Festivals like this promote positive values, enable young generation to inspire great ideas, promote creativity and culture. In short it makes us feel. "It's not a film industry, it's an institution where we learn how to influence the minds of people in a positive way. "I personally feel that this festival must be organized every year, challenges should be given, and they will be accepted."
The submissions were closed to the public in November 2012, whereas the voting was closed in December 2012. Audience could vote by using the 'Vote Now' facebook app or SMS the short-code of their selected entry. The short-films were handed over to the judges for deliberations and ranking.
For this purpose, the likes of Amena Khan, Amin Matalqa, Mehreen Jabbar and Sohail Javed were brought on board for final judging. With all four individuals excelling in their own right, the judges were given a month to review films in detail and list their choices of top short-films. "I felt like I went on a journey through Pakistan's social issues. Great stuff!" Jordanian Filmmaker Amin Matalqa had to say about the submissions.
The films were ranked for the overall top three best films, critics award, best film in each category and viewers choice awards based on voting.
The top three best films of the festival are:
1. Tolerance by Ali Raza
2. The Loop by Mahad Ali Sajid
3. Follow Your Dreams by Shahmir Ahsanullah
The critics awards top three are Education by Adnan Nawaz, Tolerance by Ali Raza and The Loop by Mahad Ali Sajid
Based on the audience vote through SMS and facebook votes , the following films were ranked as the top three.
1. Tolerance by Ali Raza
2. The Loop by Mahad Ali Sajid
3. Broken by Usama Nasir
Overall, 3500+ votes were cast via facebook app and 1200+ votes were cast via SMS for about 200 entries received.
The festival was indeed a great opportunity for all aspiring filmmakers to work on their skills, and seize the chance to make their mark. Not only that, the rewards offered were great motivators - these included a MacBook Pro, DSLR, iPad, scholarships and internship opportunities at duck, Morango Films, and ARY Musik.
Now that the 60 Second film festival is out of its inaugural stages, the festival team is hoping that it will be on an even bigger scale next year. The screening of films will be done in major cities in February 2013.
The team behind the idea of 60SFF included Morango Films and Duck, who partnered with Mishal Private Limited, Agahi Foundation, Quad Source, Idea Simple and Collective Circle with ARY network and Radio1 FM91 as media partners to air the content.
Morango Films over the years has been engaged with dynamic organizations, including media enterprises and development organizations designing communication strategies and solutions for them, for better understanding and creating synergies between different entities. The organization is composed of some highly qualified directors and designers, who specialize in documentaries, music videos, ad films and print features assisting organizations across the globe. It has offices in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.