Bhubaneswar, Oct. 29: Short film contest titled Kallola, which is themed on child rights, was launched in the city today.

The first-of-its-kind contest in the state, organised by Unicef, aims to sensitise children, parents, teachers and the society on the issue and its importance in modern times.

The selected films will be screened across various platforms, including the social media, to reach a larger audience and generate discussion and debate on the social issue.

Kallola invites film entries in 30, 60 and 90 seconds duration on the theme — Ending violence against children — and with four sub-themes — child labour, child sexual abuse, child marriage and corporal punishment.

“The contest is open to everyone — students, filmmakers, amateurs and professionals. Willing participants can log on to http://kallola.aaina.org.in for further information on the contest, its themes, rules and the entry form. The last date of registration is December 30,” said Sneha Mishra, secretary of Aaina, a voluntary organisation co-hosting the contest.

“Such film festivals inspire and motivate us to make better films and provide us a platform to showcase our skills. Another major benefit is that we get to see the films made by others on similar topics and learn from them,” said Manas Samal, a BTech student, who is an amateur short film-maker.

“On general occasions, we only have the choice of uploading it on Youtube, or at the best, sharing it on other social networking sites. But here, we can get to hear reviews from the judges and know where exactly we need to improve. The award factor also drives us to put in our best,” said Srimanta, another student.

A half-day workshop for the participants will be held on November 11. The format, themes and rules of the contest will be discussed there. An eminent jury will evaluate the films and the best five entries will be awarded in the categories such as Best Film — 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Jury’s Choice and Viewer’s Choice in January and February next year.

Launching the contest, Unicef chief (Odisha field office) Yumi Bae said: “We hope that the short film contest will remind us of the inviolable human rights that each and every child is born with and the responsibility that each of us, as a member of our family, our community and the society have in ensuring that no child is denied of his or her basic rights.”

“This will be an annual event, and for this inaugural year, we take up the theme of violence against children. The short films will help bringing the message closer to our hearts that we all have a duty to end this violence and protect the children,” Bae said.