Hyderabad-based filmmaker Sarath Chandra Sasubilli on his experiences of winning the 2021 JCSI Young Creatives Award

“It is overwhelming to be recognised  at the international platform. But the journey was adventurous. There were roadblocks at every corner,” says Hyderabad-based filmmaker Sarath Chandra Sasubilli, who won the 2021 JCSI Young Creatives Award in the one-minute creative video category for his short film Domestic Peace under the International Emmy Awards. 

Every year, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences conducts the International Emmy Awards ceremony for countries across the world. In 2017, it started a new category called One-Minute Creative Video in association with JCS International media company. The award category is designed to discover, recognise and foster young talent from around the world while creating a global conversation around peace. In September 2021, Sarath was adjudged one of the winners along with two other short filmmakers from Mexico and China. Last year’s topic was ‘Stand Up For Peace: Men And Women Unite For Change’.

“This was my fourth attempt at the competition. I managed to make a video related to domestic violence as it is a worldwide issue. The film revolves around the concept of how peace begins at home and how conflicts between parents impact children,” says Sarath. “It wasn’t a planned project. I initially decided against participating as I’ve already lost three times. I shot, edited and submitted the film on the last day of submission with just a few minutes left on the clock,” recalls Sarath. Then, the unexpected happened and he won. “My team consists of my friends who are trying their luck in the Telugu film industry. So we did our best with what we have,” he adds. 

After battling US visa issues at the last minute before the award ceremony, Sarath made it on time to receive the award and also met his idol Nawazuddin Siddiqui and interacted with Vir Das and other prominent names from the film and television industry. “Nawazuddin and Vir Das are both wonderful people whose works I have been following for a long time. They have a certain influence on me. It was amazing to meet them right after my presentation,” says Sarath.

A B Tech graduate from Visakhapatnam, Sarath was drawn towards filmmaking and world cinema during his graduation years. With no formal training, he learnt to make short films by watching YouTube videos and visited film sets to see how a film shoot is done. “I was constantly making short films and learning from mistakes made during every project,” he says. 

Sarath is currently working on the scripts of his Telugu feature films. “The scripts are of three different genres: a suspense thriller, a horror and an emotional drama. I will be finalising the suspense thriller soon. It will go on sets by the end of August or beginning of September,” he says.