About The Festival
Pazhassi Short Film Festival (PSFF) • Mananthavady, Wayanad
The Genesis & Cultural Roots
The Pazhassi Short Film Festival was conceived to address a long-standing void in the cultural landscape of Wayanad: the lack of an authentic theatrical platform dedicated entirely to independent short-form cinema. While short films, documentaries, and experimental projects frequently flourish online or in major urban circuits, grassroots audiences and aspiring regional filmmakers rarely share a physical cinema space to experience and debate these works together.
Timed to coincide with the annual Pazhassi Day observance, the festival draws inspiration from the enduring legacy of resistance and self-determination associated with Pazhassi Raja. The event is curated and executed as a collaborative cultural initiative by Drishtidosham Chalachithravedi, a dedicated film society collective; the historic Pazhassi Raja Smaraka Granthalayam, which serves as a center for literary and intellectual life in Mananthavady; and the Mananthavady Municipality, providing civic patronage and community infrastructure.
Admission to every screening, panel discussion, and open forum is kept entirely free of charge. This deliberate non-commercial stance ensures that students, local cinema enthusiasts, visiting delegates, and seasoned film practitioners gather on equal footing inside a commercial movie house.
Veena - Varna Theatre, Mananthavady — The Festival Home & Screening Complex
Two-Tier Curation & Adjudication Framework
PSFF follows a rigorous two-tier selection and judging model designed to maintain absolute transparency and artistic integrity. In the preliminary phase, every valid submission is reviewed by a 12-member internal screening panel comprising film society organizers, writers, and cultural practitioners. This committee pares down all received entries to a strictly curated competition shortlist of exactly 10 short films.
During the festival day, these 10 official selections are projected on the big screen at Veena - Varna Theatre. An independent main jury consisting of renowned film industry directors and critics evaluates the films on calibrated parameters including screenplay structure, directorial control, cinematography, sound design, and thematic coherence. Parallel to the jury's scoring, the audience votes directly at the venue to decide the Popular Film award.
Open Forum & Direct Dialogue Between Filmmakers, Jury Members, and Delegates
The Journey & Past Milestones
The inaugural edition took place on 30 November 2024 under the jury leadership of Sanath PC. The debut season immediately captured the attention of independent filmmakers statewide, culminating in Waseem Ameer's The Show winning the inaugural Best Short Film title, Nandulal M receiving Best Director for Kolam, and Atul Raj's Chudalamadan securing the audience-voted Best Popular Film accolade.
Season 02, staged on 29 November 2025, represented a massive leap in scale and community participation. The edition was officially inaugurated by Kerala State Film Award-winning art director Ajayan Chalissery (Manjummel Boys), with an evaluation jury chaired by acclaimed screenwriter and director Santhosh Mandoor. Out of 55 statewide submissions, the top 10 films were presented inside the auditorium and simultaneously broadcast outdoors via an expansive LED wall setup to accommodate overflow crowds.
The second season also marked two major technical milestones: the introduction of a custom electronic voting system for the ₹10,000 Popular Film award and the addition of the Best Cinematographer category. Mridul S's nuanced short film Kanam swept both the Best Short Film award (₹25,000) and the Popular Film award, while Sruthil Mathew took Best Director (₹15,000) for Ura, and Nijo Abraham earned the inaugural Best Cinematographer laurel (₹10,000) for Golden Love.
Packed Auditorium at Season 02 Public Screenings
Best Short Film Award Presentation — Kanam (Season 02)
Season 03 (2026) Directorate & Vision
Scheduled for 28 November 2026, PSFF Season 03 expands its commitment to independent cinema. National Film Award–winning filmmaker Sherry Govindan serves as the Chief Jury, working alongside film critic and director Arjun K to assess competitive entries.
The total festival endowment has been established at ₹62,500, honoring winners across Best Short Film (₹25,000), Best Director (₹15,000), Best Cinematographer (₹10,000), and Best Popular Film (₹10,000), along with ₹2,500 cash consolation grants awarded to each remaining non-winning film within the curated Top 10 Official Selection.
Enter Your Work for Season 03
Submissions open until 30 September 2026 • Runtime not exceeding 30 minutes