The social media is flooded with posts of the trailer of Bench Talkies, which stars Vijay Sethupathi, the face of Tamil new wave cinema. It is a film that comes from Stone Bench Creations, set up by Karthik Subbaraj. The idea is to support indie film makers. Bench Talkies knits together six short films, directed by different film makers, including Karthik himself.
“Through this initiative, our main motive is to sustain short films as a genre and promote genuine, good quality ones,” says Karthik.
Stone Bench Creations has been helping young film makers since its inception. Its sister wings, Bench Flix, Bench Sub and Bench Cast aid short film makers to find revenue for their work, subtitle their films and make casting more professional. “Right from the time we started the company, we have been exploring the possibilities of finding new markets for indie film makers. They need money not just to distribute their films but also to send them for film festivals,” says Karthik.
The six films in Bench Talkies have been chosen from 2000 short film entries. “We received the entries on Benchflix.com, an online platform where short film makers can upload their works. A panel judged the films. We filtered out 30 to 35 films and selected the best six from them.”
They are planning to release this kind of a venture once every two months with different sets of film makers, says Karthik. “We will follow the same format of six short films and will feature film heroes and renowned film makers as well, along with new talent. It will be an educative experience for young directors.”
The film has gone through conventional channels of the film market such as the censor, box office release routes and online promotion platforms.
“A theatrical release is not possible for a short film. That is why we decided to combine them and present it like a feature film,” explains the director.
Even though these are short films, the experience will be similar to that of watching a full-length film, assures Karthik. “You can expect comedy, social message, thrills, fiction and entertainment. Each film is different. You get to enjoy a variety of genres.”
The film will be released in theatres in Chennai, Coimbatore and Bangalore today.