Biprorshee Das
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Ring the Bell films shortlisted in the Short Film Contest at Cannes

The campaign against domestic violence is one of the six finalists in the category and is the sole Indian shortlisted entry

The much successful and talked about campaign against domestic violence, Bell Bajao (Ring the Bell), has been shortlisted as one of the six films selected globally in the Speak Out Against Domestic Violence Short Film Contest at the Cannes Film Festival 2010.

Ring the Bell films shortlisted in the Short Film Contest at Cannes
Ring the Bell films shortlisted in the Short Film Contest at Cannes
The campaign has won accolades across the world at both advertising and film awards. It is a high profile national campaign launched in August 2008, supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and campaign ambassador, Boman Irani.

Bell Bajao has been created pro bono by Ogilvy Mumbai. Zenobia Pithawala, group creative director, Ogilvy Mumbai headed the team on the project.

The campaign comprises a series of films with various story lines woven around the broad idea of stopping domestic violence, which appeal to the people to 'ring the bell' at the door of any house where women are abused.

Competing against international films of longer duration, the Bell Bajao entries are three 60 second films that have been put together to qualify in the category.

An elated Bauddhayan Mukherji, director (of the films) and owner, Little Lamb Films (the production house), tells afaqs!, "It is interesting how being an advertising film, it has been shortlisted at the Cannes Film Festival. After the first season, we soon realised that we had a movement on our hands."

Ring the Bell films shortlisted in the Short Film Contest at Cannes
"We were trying to address people who were not the abusers. We were appealing to them. The films are for the ones who choose to remain silent. All recognition aside, the biggest success of the project lay in the fact that people did what was expected of them," he adds.

The campaign, after having won at Media That Matters Film Festival and receiving a special jury mention at Mexico's Expresion en Corto Film Festival in 2009, was picked for Cannes by the co-ordinator who heard about it at the festivals.

Bell Bajao also won a merit at the One Show 2009 and has been selected as one of the finalists this time.

It has also won a silver metal at Goafest 2009, a gold at Spikes Asia 2009 and two gold metals at IDPA 2009.

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