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.

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 safety of their customers and their staff. A large number of film festivals worldwide have already cancelled or postponed their events.

As the future is unpredictable, there is risk that our festival may not occur in the planned timeframe. There is also 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. 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.

Awards & Prizes

While exact prizes differ each year and are more than this list, the festival generally has 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

Rules & Terms

Feature Films (Indian subcontinent and diaspora related only) made or released after 1st January 2019 are eligible for the festival. Please note that all other films, not related directly with either of the following countries - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Sri Lanka - will be rejected.
Submission of films closes on July 31, 2020 though we may offer an extended deadline
The Festival is competitive
The Festival will at least have the following awards/prizes. Last year we had more awards - the actual number will depend on various factors and will be finalized just before the event.
Best Film
Best Director
Best Short Film
Best Male Actor
Best Female Actress
Official selection and awards are based on the overall merit of the films and are the sole discretion of the Jury and the programming committee of the Festival.
Jury's decision are final for the award and cannot be challenged.
All films screened on official selection are eligible for the audience choice award. This award based solely on the audience voting at the film screenings.
Producer/Filmmaker can make multiple entries. However, a separate submission and entry fee for each film is required.
Entries to be done by submitting DVD ( with English subtitle ) or through on line ( Vimeo, Youtube ) with protected password, if the submitter wants, but in that case, the submitter is required to mention the URL of the upload in the submission form.
Along with the entry, the following details are to be furnished :
Film Title : Original & English
Running time in minutes
Name of Producer/Production House
Name of Director
Contact number, email id and address of the applicant
No press kit / publicity material required during the entry
Once the film is selected in the official selection, the festival committee will send a confirmation mail to the Producer/Production House/Director and ask them to send 1) The publicity material and 2) The screening copy. The format of these two will be clearly mentioned in the confirmation mail.
Official Selection will be intimated to the applicant one month prior to the festival.
Notification of selected films ( Official selection ) will be announced on festival website and social media platforms. However, the festival authority reserves the right to change show dates, accept or refuse any film without assigning any reason whatsoever.
All promotional materials submitted to the festival committee becomes the property of Caleidoscope for its archive and cannot be returned. However, the final screening copy will be returned back to concerned authority, by 60 days, once the festival is over.
By submitting the film to Caleidoscope, Producer/Director/Submitter takes the whole responsibility of copyright issues of all creative and technical aspect of the film. The submitter accepts the responsibility for the accuracy of the information supplied and authorizes Caleidoscope to reproduce and use personal/company's contact information as supplied. The applicant/submitter confirms that he/she has the requisite authority or has obtained the requisite authority from the producer/right holder/concerned authorities to enter, screen and publicize the film at Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival of Boston and make available the final screening copy for the screening at the venue of the festival. Caleidoscope is not responsible/ answerable to any copyright/legal issues relating to the films submitted at the festival.
Any communication from the festival committee will be done by e-mails only.
By submitting film to the film festival Caleidoscope , it is understood that the Producer/ Production House/ Director has read, understood and agreed to the above- mentioned festival rules and guidelines.