Scaling new heights

THERE was thunderous applause at the announcement of the Best Movie of the Year at the WMC Toastmasters' short film festival, Cinergy2008, but winning director Vijesh Rajan was so shocked he had to be pulled from his seat to accept the award.

As his film The Waiting received its due, Vijesh, 26, said: "I was blank. When the Best Film was announced, I was so shocked that I couldn't react. One of my friends actually told me later that I was just sitting there with my eyes wide open and my jaw dangling.

"The award means so much to me. A lot of time and hard work went into the making of The Waiting and a lot of people were involved in the overall planning and production. And bear in mind that these people aren't film makers. They're just people with good hearts and a lot of faith in me.

"So winning at Cinergy2008 was more than a personal triumph. It was a reward for all the time and effort from everyone that went into making my film."

Rick Beeman, jury member and general manager of KSDi, said: "I loved the imagery of the movie and also the sound design.

"I was moved and I can tell that Vijesh is an accomplished director.

"The techniques that Vijesh used were quite advanced. It was a complete picture.

"How I judge a film is if it sticks with you once you leave the theatre and this one stuck with me."

The Waiting, a film about a collision between the living and the dead, was one of 21 entries at the festival.

Vijesh said: "The Waiting is a story that I wrote four years ago during my first semester in film school, based on a recurring lucid dream. But the more I worked on it, the tougher it became to make, so I decided to put it aside and move on to easier projects until I had the resources and knowledge to make it."

When the WMC Toastmasters announced the short film festival with its theme, 'Why not ... the possibilities are endless', Vijesh grabbed the opportunity to revisit his story.

The film also won gold awards for the Best Graphics/Special Effects and Best Supporting Actor and silver awards for the Best Cinematographer and Best Actor in a Leading Role.

The jury team was led by Bahraini film maker Bassam Al Thawadi with jury members Khalifa Shaheen, well-known as the father of cinematography in Bahrain, Hameed Karimi president of the Bahrain Cinema Club and Mr Beeman.

Dr Babu Ramachandran, WMC Toastmaster founder president and Cinergy2008 chief co-ordinator said: "All the movies that were shown were top class and each of them conveyed a message.

"Vijesh's movie, The Waiting, was an out of the ordinary film. We have received a lot of feedback on his movie don't doubt that this was the best.

"It was a little abstract but that was its essence. It was something that made the audience think about it, even after the movie was over."

Mr Al Thawadi said: "All the movies shot were good and had some message to convey. The festival is a great idea and I really hope to see the WMC Toastmasters bring this back every year."