Short film competition

“Film is an exciting and wonderful medium, and short films have been at the centre of cinema activity since the dawn of the movies. The Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition will encourage young film-makers to explore life and put it on the screen, just as Ray himself did in his inspiring work”
Mike Leigh 2004 (patron of the Short Film Competition)

Open to film-makers either resident or studying in the UK
Prize for Best Film £1500
All entries should not exceed 30 minutes running time and may be of any genre, including animation.
The film should express and inform aspects of the experiences of South Asians (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) either within their own countries or the diaspora.

Short films are an important art form, requiring discipline and precision to be successful. They have been the springboard into full-length feature films for many contemporary award-winning film-makers, such as Roman Polanski, Jane Campion and James Ivory. We will be looking for films that show imagination and creativity and reflect the cultural diversity and experiences of South Asians, either in their own country or the Diaspora.

Application form

To apply to the short film competition please download and fill in the PDF form below and send it together with your film to;

Julian Pye, The British Council, 10 Spring Street, London, SW1A 2BN

Short Film Competition Application Form

This year's winner:

2008 - Purnima Raghunath for City of Widows

We are delighted to announce the 2007/08 winner

'CITY OF WIDOWS' - The £1,500 prize money was presented to Purnima Raghunath for her film The City of Widows by
Ben Gibson, Director of The London Film School. The winner also received a full version of Final Draft Software and a year's subscription to Moviescope Magazine . The runners up also received a year's subscription to Moviescope Magazine and the book 'Speaking of films' which brings together some of Ray's most memorable writings on film and film-making.

City of Widows uncovers a segment of Indian society that seems to remain unchanged by time. Vrindavan, a small pilgrim city in northern India, is home to more than 16,000 abandoned widows.Deserted by their families or relatives who no longer want them, these women come to Vrindavan and spend the rest of their lives singing bhajans (holy hymns) in praise of Lord Krishna.