SIIMA Short Film Awards 2017

Hyderabad, May 14th, 2017: VIVO SIIMA, the Biggest and the most viewed South Indian Film Awards is back with its Sixth Edition and VIVO is roped in as the Title Sponsor. The awards ceremony will be hosted in Abu Dhabi on June 30th and July 1st and will see in attendance the biggest names from the South Indian Film Industry. VIVO SIIMA hosted its first ever Short Film Awards for the Telugu and Kannada languages in Hyderabad. The awards ceremony was a glittering affair and saw in attendance the who’s who of the Telugu and Kannada film industry who had turned up to support the budding talent.

Since the awards were announced, there was a huge enthusiasm which was seen amongst the short film makers who had sent in their films for nominations. The jury had a tough time going through hundreds of short films and were amazed at the talent which had remained untapped.

With the digital revolution which India is going through, SIIMA thought this would be the right time to encourage and give the right platform to short filmmakers and recognize their talent. Over the last two years more and more aspiring filmmakers are taking to internet to show their talent and we have observed a trend of short film makers becoming highly successful film makers. Vibri Media (which owns SIIMA and CCL) and KWAN will jointly manage the winners of the Short Film Awards and will help in building their careers in the entertainment field.

The awards ceremony saw in attendance Rana Daggubati, Lakshmi Manchu, Regina Cassandra, Allu Sirish, Pranitha Subhash, Shradha Shrinath, Mrs.Brinda Prasad - Chairperson SIIMA and Mr. Vivek Zhang – CMO Vivo Mobile and many more and was hosted by Navdeep. The awards were judged by a highly distinguished jury and awards were given away in 8 categories in each language. The awards for short filmmakers in Tamil and Malayalam language will be given away on May 28th in Chennai.

Talking about the first SIIMA Short Film Awards, Adusumilli Brinda Prasad Chairperson SIIMA said “It gives us great pleasure in setting up yet another platform “SIIMA SHORT FILM AWARDS” to promote and celebrate talent covering the Digital Space. This space has been booming with young talent sprouting with creativity and have a promising future in the world of entertainment.”

Delighted at the association, Vivek Zhang, CMO, Vivo India, said, "We believe that the popularity of South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) is a splendid opportunity for Vivo to strengthen connect with the right audience and create a strong brand recall. Our latest offering in the Indian market is a step ahead in our endeavor to revolutionize the selfie phenomenon.”

Actor Rana Daggubati whose talent management firm KWAN is also supporting the Awards said “Short Filmmakers have started moving closer to the mainstream, and large studios have started capitalizing on their success with films like Ghazi, Kshanam and Pellichoopulu. SIIMA Short Film Awards promises to support independent films and filmmakers to return to rebellious risky filmmaking”

Sultan Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director for Tourism at TCA Abu Dhabi, said: “We are delighted that Abu Dhabi has been chosen as the Official Host Destination for this year’s SIIMA event. We can now look forward to welcoming some of the biggest names in the South Indian film industry, as well as their legions of fans, to our wonderful emirate, as we build awareness of our destination and get to showcase Abu Dhabi’s multitude of offerings, including fantastic family attractions, some of the best retail outlets on the planet, and world-class entertainment options. We are sure our famed hospitality and our world-class facilities will ensure the event is a resounding success.”

SIIMA 2017 is supported by its Title Sponsor Vivo Mobiles, Official host destination- Abu Dhabi, Airlines Partner – Etihad Airways, Lot Mobiles, Honer Homes, Abhibus and overseas partner Era Entertainment.

Here’s the list of the short film Award Winners
Telugu:
Best Short Film - VindhyaMrutham
Best Director – Lakshman Krishna (Krishnamurthi Garintlo)
Best Actor – Shiva Kumar R (Indian Age 25)
Best Actress – Darshini Sekhar (Krishnamurthi Garintlo)
Best Supporting Actor – Ankith Koyya (Yedhane Vadili Vellipomake)
Best Supporting Actress – Jahnavi Dasetty (Prematho Peechumittai)
Best Comedian – Ravi Sai Teja Paila (Prematho Peechumittai)
Best Music Director – Kabir Rafi (Konchem Istam Chala Kashtam
Kannada:
Best Short Film - Chowkabara
Best Director – Arjun Kumar S (Panmandri Cross)
Best Actor – Poornachandra Mysuru (Patinga)
Best Actress – Akshatha (Phanmandri Cross)
Best Supporting Actor – Gopalakrishna Desshapande (Present Sir)
Best Supporting Actress – Nandini Patawardhan (Chowkabara)
Best Music Director – Raghu Dixit (The Last Kannadiga)