An avid short filmmaker, promoter and theatre artiste Cyrus Dastur, created Shamiana only so that aspiring filmmakers and their films got a platform to showcase their talent. Gradually, the club grew and explored various cities in India.

But this wasn't enough, as he realised that though he had enough people at the screenings, he still felt something was missing. That's when he decided to experiment and introduce his online channel on a popular website.

One may ask what's so great about uploading online? Dastur explains, "We launched our new channel dedicated exclusively to short film trailers because when you want to watch a short film, most of the times you don't know which one to watch because unlike feature films, short film names are not well known. And by the time you've spent 15-20 mins watching a short film you realise that's not the one you wanted to see.

" The channel guides you through various trailers, so you can decide which one you want to watch. In short, instead of wasting 15 mins of your time, you can just spend 30 seconds watching a trailer and decide.

Though there are a few clubs created by media students and aspiring filmmakers in the city, the lack of monetary support, fails to keep them going. For aspiring filmmaker and media student Sartaj Aulakh, spending ` 200-250 to watch a short film is not feasible.

"I prefer watching it at home at such times, but then if the director of the short film is present at the venue, I prefer being there. We do have NFAI which stores short films at their library, but the rates are too high.

At our college we screen short films made by students and discuss among ourselves," expresses Aulakh. But then there is always an option for those who want to make a difference.

Payal Rohatgi , a lawyer by profession, dedicates her extra time to the online website dedicated to promote independent filmmakers and their films, introduced aspirants to online interviews of renowned directors like Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Kashyap. "We hope to attract viewers based on our off-beat content, allowing filmmakers the full freedom to express themselves visually and artistically, without any shackles of what is acceptable or unacceptable to society.

With broadband and mobile penetration, we believe that short form content is the way of the future," expresses Rohatgi. Just like Rohatgi, young filmmaker Limin Mathew and his team back in Mumbai, have been making their screenings a memorable experience for everyone.

"When we organise a movie screening in Mumbai or Pune, we try and treat it differently by inviting the director to the screening. In such situations, the screening becomes more interactive and fun.

We once had this director who came all the way from Kerala to discuss his film with the viewers," shares Mathew. Mathew, who agrees with Aulakh on the entry fee issue, informed PT that they do not charge a penny to those who want to attend a screening.

"Yes, we not have an entry fee. When we were students we knew the difficulties we had when it came to spending even ` 100.

We totally understand. We are still looking out for sponsors to help us sail smoothly," informs Mathew.

While filmmakers, writers, festivals and clubs find ways to reach out to as many viewers, we wonder if Pune is okay with their favourite movie served with a dash of experimentation. Well, only time can tell! (less)