The image of two boys jumping off abandoned train parts and spotting a fox in wilderness are the first few visuals of the film. They are essential to mention for they set the premise of the narrative's thematic concerns - innocence juxtaposed against the uncontrolled, often violently indifferent and unconcerned, forces of nature. The first few moments are also sufficient to put the viewer on edge despite the seemingly harmless atmosphere the story has constructed so far - two boys playing in the fields with not a care in the world. It is important to call it 'seeming', for therein lurks an unshakable sense of unease, one the viewer is sure will culminate into something irrevocable. The course of events the narrative comes to follow, even though the discomfort has led the viewer to prepare for them, makes you hope for a respite, perhaps even an unexpected change that would set everything right, but will it ever arrive? It is in this effortless straddling that the film executes between the untouched, unadulterated innocence of childhood, and the harsh reality of a world it exists in, that the true success of Fauve lies

Fauve | Short Film of the Day

Shot on a phone, the film presents a notably earnest and heartfelt endeavor in exploring an idea of magic, one that we often leave behind as we move forward in the world. A woman, feeling lost and drowning in despair, has found her way back to a childhood haunt, a corner in the middle of a lush forest where she communed with the fairies as a young girl. With sparkle on her eyes and an unwavering trust in magic, she would leave little tokens of love for the woodland creatures. However, as adulthood ushered in different responsibilities and roles, the fairies were soon left behind and forgotten. 
After all these years, life has once again led her back to the same spot of magic and wonder. Is it still capable of invoking something in her? The film answers the question in a heartwarming manner. The performance of its sole character becomes one of the most notable triumphs of the film, alongside its storytelling, both of which pave the path for more projects with a larger trove of resources in the future.

Who I Was Before I Forgot | Short Film Nominee

In a corner of India, the short film allows its story to unfold one night. The documentary introduces the viewer to children who scavenge empty alcohol bottles to sell them for small amounts of money. While the children, by their own admission, go to school and learn poetry and languages, they also carry out this secret activity of theirs come nightfall. Through its quiet engagement with its young subjects, the documentary presents forth a narrative of poverty and how it robs children of their innocence and childhood. The intention is noble and its realisation exhibits deep potential. However, the topic and thematic concerns it chooses to engage with are not entirely unique - poverty in a developing country. It is precisely for this reason that an important question is raised after interacting with the film - has it succeeded in capturing the social and cultural ethos of a society, despite or perhaps because of its microcosmic approach - the story of a few children in the corner of a massive nation, or has it fallen in the trap of indulging the specific manner in which the West often views its eastern counterparts? While this question is inherent to the core of What Are You Looking At?, it can and should only be answered by the viewer themselves.

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