B·LORE

PLEASE NOTE: Application deadline extended till August 2.

B·LORE is an Open Call and Grant from Bangalore International Centre (BIC) that wishes to document fresh crowd sourced perspectives about our city. We supported 26 short films in the first round of B·LORE in 2022. We are now launching a second call and submissions are open!

We are looking for a range of diverse stories in short, audio visual (AV) formats. Our aim is to create a collective memory of our city with your contribution towards the B·LORE online archives. Submissions can be recorded using mobile phones or any other devices.

Some of the subjects that you could explore for this are culture (people, customs, language dialects, food, work), arts (visual, performing), innovation, citizen involvement, inspiring stories of change, history (formation, pre-independence, natural, industrial), heritage (all kinds), local personalities, etc. This is a suggestive list and by no means exhaustive. We hope this helps spark more novel ideas!

Applications begin from June 16, 2023. Please send in your submissions by Aug 2, 2023. Download B·LORE Call for Submissions.

B·LORE Submissions

The final outcome expected from the selected applicants is an AV film (mp4 video) related to Bengaluru (Bangalore) with a maximum run time of 5 minutes including title and credits. The film can be in any language and subtitling the entire film in English is mandatory.

We look forward to B·LORE submissions that have elements of creativity, originality, interesting nuggets of information, humor and more. B·LORE will create a collective memory of our city on its website / YouTube channel and amplify them through multiple social media outlets.

A completed, submitted film that is accepted to be part of B·LORE is eligible for a total honorarium of ₹ 20,000.

B·LORE Jury

Arundhati Ghosh, Cultural Practitioner

The typical Bangalore, the eccentric Bangalore, the moody Bangalore and the secret Bangalore – I would love to see Namma Bengaluru in its different flavours and whimsies. Especially the stories that remain silent or ignored. Especially the moments that go unregistered. I hope the films are also able to find clues, tiny evidences in the city that can help us build a tomorrow with hope and perseverance.

Kiran Keswani, Urban Designer

What are the social, cultural, economic and political practices of people that shape the city’s culture? It would be good to see the everyday life of the city captured on film. To document the everyday routines of people in the public realm, especially within Bangalore’s informal public spaces such as its streets, its maidans, around the ‘tree as anchor’ and so on.

Ramjee Chandran, Publisher

I would like to see the romantic heritage of the city — how its style and its quirk came to be, from its history and its diversity. Steering away from issues, specifically those that are routine in the news cycle.

B·LORE Application Process

• Submissions for B·LORE can be made through this Application Form.
• Any individual or organization can submit an entry.
• Multiple entries are allowed.
• Applications open on June 16, 2023.
• Application deadline is Aug 2, 2023.
• You may submit a completed film or a proposed draft of the film (with or without trailer).
• At this stage, all video submissions are to be made available through a URL link that allows us viewing rights. We will not accept submissions in any other format.
• We have constituted a 3 person jury to evaluate all the proposals / submissions.
• If you are submitting a completed film, there are 3 possible outcomes:
  – It may qualify for B·LORE as it is submitted.
  – We may request you to make suggested revisions for it to qualify for B·LORE. It is up to the applicant if they wish to resubmit.
  – It may not qualify to be part of B·LORE. This is not a reflection on the film, but its perceived suitability for B·LORE.
• If you are submitting a proposed draft version of the film, there are 2 possible outcomes:
  – It may be promising and has potential to be part of B·LORE post completion.
  – It may not qualify as a suitable fit for B·LORE.
• Applicants will be informed of the status of their application by August 31, 2023.
  • If your proposal is selected, you will have one months time from the date of intimation to complete the project.

Rights of BIC and the Applicants

• BIC reserves the right to accept or reject any application at any stage, without providing any reasons.
• Once a final submission is accepted the applicant needs to submit a hi-res file and a write up about the film.
• The Applicant will confirm that there is no copyright or any third-party rights’ violation in the final submission and in case any material is owned by others, due permission for use and/or inclusion in the submission, has been obtained.
• The grant for qualifying applicants will be payable as follows:
  · ₹ 20,000 for a completed film submitted and accepted for B·LORE.
  · ₹ 5,000 for a shortlisted draft film which has promise and potential.
  – Completed film accepted post being shortlisted as a draft film, you will receive the remaining ₹15,000.
  · It is possible that some qualifying applicants may choose to forsake the grant. BIC welcomes any gesture that allows it to increase the B·LORE archives.
• BIC is free to use the final submission in any manner it deems fit (in perpetuity, anywhere and in any medium) including making it available to others under the Creative Commons License. This would include adding brand and communication material to the original submission, or using the submission or snippets of it elsewhere, with due credit to the film makers.
• BIC commits that all its usage will be non-commercial.
• The original ownership rights of the submission rests with the applicant. They are free to transfer, license or use it in any manner they deem fit, without recourse to BIC and without upsetting, prejudicing, or interfering with BIC’s rights detailed above.

Email us at events@bangaloreinternationalcentre.org with the subject line “B·LORE Submission” if you have any questions. We look forward to your submissions!