<p>Bengaluru hosted an unusual screening over the weekend. Around 180 people gathered at the auditorium of Bangalore International Centre (BIC) in Domlur to watch short-form videos lasting a minute or two on a ‘big screen’. </p><p>The audience also voted live for the best short-format videos alongside a jury comprising ad film director Gajraj Rao, and content creators Zervaan Bunshah and Vir Bhaan Saini.</p>.<p>The occasion was the first edition of the Indian Scroll Festival (ISF) 2026. It aims to celebrate short-form content as an art form rather than a tool for engagement metrics. It received over 160 entries from creators across India, and 40 shortlisted videos were screened. Five winners, three from Bengaluru and one each from Rajasthan and Kerala, received prize money of Rs 1 lakh each.</p>.<p>The event was organised by creative agency Talented and its venture mktgstack. The organisers said they chose Bengaluru for the inaugural edition to spotlight content emerging from south India, and bring the city on par with Mumbai and Delhi in the content creation space.</p>.Good times for filmmaking, even PM Modi encouraging art: Actor Jaggesh.<p>Entries were invited in five categories — Comedy, AI, Edits (think fan edits), Emotional, and Food. The submissions came from creators and filmmakers aged between 17 and nearly 40.</p>.<p>Varun Manavazhi, a 29-year-old wildlife and documentary filmmaker from Bengaluru, was among the winners. He had submitted a one-minute film about visiting his 92-year-old grandmother for Vishu in Palakkad, Kerala. “I wanted to challenge myself to make a one-minute film about myself, all by myself,” he said. He added that shooting the film independently came with challenges, including composing shots and using timers to film himself.</p>.<p>Rajay Rajendra Naik was another winner from Bengaluru. He had submitted two videos. One focused on Mumbai’s Dhobi Ghat, while the other told the story of his grandfather’s tailor shop in Goa. The 26-year-old creative director and filmmaker said the festival gave storytellers like him visibility at a time when social media algorithms are making discovery difficult. </p>.<p>Namrata Chawla, one of the creators of ISF, said she was glad the festival reached creators who are looking for alternative platforms for their work.</p>
<p>Bengaluru hosted an unusual screening over the weekend. Around 180 people gathered at the auditorium of Bangalore International Centre (BIC) in Domlur to watch short-form videos lasting a minute or two on a ‘big screen’. </p><p>The audience also voted live for the best short-format videos alongside a jury comprising ad film director Gajraj Rao, and content creators Zervaan Bunshah and Vir Bhaan Saini.</p>.<p>The occasion was the first edition of the Indian Scroll Festival (ISF) 2026. It aims to celebrate short-form content as an art form rather than a tool for engagement metrics. It received over 160 entries from creators across India, and 40 shortlisted videos were screened. Five winners, three from Bengaluru and one each from Rajasthan and Kerala, received prize money of Rs 1 lakh each.</p>.<p>The event was organised by creative agency Talented and its venture mktgstack. The organisers said they chose Bengaluru for the inaugural edition to spotlight content emerging from south India, and bring the city on par with Mumbai and Delhi in the content creation space.</p>.Good times for filmmaking, even PM Modi encouraging art: Actor Jaggesh.<p>Entries were invited in five categories — Comedy, AI, Edits (think fan edits), Emotional, and Food. The submissions came from creators and filmmakers aged between 17 and nearly 40.</p>.<p>Varun Manavazhi, a 29-year-old wildlife and documentary filmmaker from Bengaluru, was among the winners. He had submitted a one-minute film about visiting his 92-year-old grandmother for Vishu in Palakkad, Kerala. “I wanted to challenge myself to make a one-minute film about myself, all by myself,” he said. He added that shooting the film independently came with challenges, including composing shots and using timers to film himself.</p>.<p>Rajay Rajendra Naik was another winner from Bengaluru. He had submitted two videos. One focused on Mumbai’s Dhobi Ghat, while the other told the story of his grandfather’s tailor shop in Goa. The 26-year-old creative director and filmmaker said the festival gave storytellers like him visibility at a time when social media algorithms are making discovery difficult. </p>.<p>Namrata Chawla, one of the creators of ISF, said she was glad the festival reached creators who are looking for alternative platforms for their work.</p>