About the Festival
Caleidoscope of Boston, now in its 6th year, is the largest Indian Film Festival in the New England region of USA, which includes the six states of MA, RI, ME, VT, CT and NH. It is also the only South Asian Film Festival in this area that is recognized by IMDB. Caleidoscope provides a unique platform for upcoming art-house and differentiated films from the Indian sub-continent to be discovered and appreciated by a mainstream global audience. Boston being one of the greatest centers of education and cultural diversity is a perfect home for alternate genre cine lovers to celebrate the achievements of talented Indian filmmakers.
Caleidoscope IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0006603/2019/1
This is the initial call for entries. We are accepting feature films in Indian languages or English (must be subtitled) and Short Films under 20 mins run time.
Caleidoscope is organized by Indian Arts Boston, a registered 501c3 non profit public charity, seeking to raise awareness and appreciation of diverse Indian art forms in North America.
Caleidoscope 2020 will be held completely at Apple Cinemas, Cambridge (MA) over 4 days (Sep 10-13) and at Rhode Island College (RI) for a single day (Sep 12). Some screenings and events of the festival may also take place through digital media.
New - Caleidoscope 2020 Postponed to November 6-8
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The state regulations and guidances on theater operations has prevented most venues from opening yet in the state of Massachusetts, where the festival is held. After much deliberation, the organizers have decided to postpone the festival by about 2 months. We are very optimistic though that the revised dates will allow the theaters to open and offer a safer environment to attending customers. The submission dates will remain the same as before; however, the notification date has been pushed back to Sep 15, as our selection team also needs more time in the current challenging environment to go through the large volume of submissions.
Special Update May 17, 2020
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The COVID19 pandemic has brought about significant economic disaster and uncertainty across the world, including in Boston, Massachusetts, where the 6th Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival 2020 is scheduled to be held Sep 10-13th. As of now, the venues have promised that they will be open by that day and will follow all government guidance to ensure the safety of their customers and their staff. A large number of film festivals worldwide have already canceled or postponed their events.
As the future is unpredictable, there is a risk that our festival may not occur in the planned timeframe. There is also a possibility that it may be held digitally, either partly or fully - as this is a solution that many of our peers are adopting in these changing times. Producers and distributors are requested to be aware of these risks prior to film submission. We are also not encouraging any film personnel to travel to Boston for the screenings. At this time, we are still adhering to our submission deadlines. Should there be a change in festival plans, we will publish the update on our site at the earliest possible opportunity.
While exact prizes differ each year, the festival generally offers the following awards, along with trophies. In 2020 however, because of the pandemic disaster, Caleidoscope may not be able to raise sufficient sponsorship funds for the festival which may reduce the number and amount of cash awards disbursed. The monetary amounts shown below are indicative of prizes provided in prior instances of the festival, without guarantees of future availability. However, the specific award designations will be conferred to the winning candidates.
Best Film - $500
Best Director - $250
Best Short Film - $125
Best Male Actor - $125
Best Female Actress - $125
Technical Excellence Awards - $250
Audience Choice Best Film - $125