NHRC invites entries for its 11th annual competition for short films on human rights

Newdelhi:14/5/25:The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, has invited entries for its 11th annual competition for short films on human rights. The last date to receive the entries is 31st August 2025. The winning entries will be awarded.

The Short Film Awards scheme was instituted by the Commission in 2015. The scheme aims to encourage and acknowledge the cinematic and creative efforts of Indian citizens, irrespective of their age, towards promoting and protecting human rights. In all previous competitions, the Commission received tremendous responses from different parts of the country.

The short films may be in English or any Indian language, with subtitles in English. The duration of the short film should be a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes. The films could be documentary, dramatization of real stories, or a work of fiction made in any technical format, including animation, within the ambit of various socio-economic, cultural, and political rights based on the following themes:

• Right to life, liberty, equality and dignity

• Covering issues specific to bonded and child labour, women & children’s rights

• Rights in challenges of elderly persons

• Rights of persons with disability

• Manual scavenging, right to healthcare

• Issues of fundamental freedoms

• Human trafficking

• Domestic violence

• Human rights violations due to police atrocities

• Custodial violence and torture

• Socio-economic disparities

• Rights of Nomadic and Denotified Tribes

• Prison reforms

• Right to education

• Right to a clean environment, including environmental hazards impacting life on planet Earth

• Right to work

• Right to equality before the law

• Right to food and nutritional security

• Rights of LGBTQI+

• Human rights violation due to displacement on account of either man-made or natural calamity

• Celebrating human rights and values in Indian diversity

• Development initiatives improving life and living standards, etc.

There is no entry fee or bar on the number of entries an individual can send to participate in the contest. However, the participants must send each film separately with a duly filled-in entry form. The terms & conditions, along with the entry form, can be downloaded from the NHRC website: www.nhrc.nic.in or the link: Click here.

The film, a duly filled-in entry form, and other requisite documents may be sent using Google Drive at nhrcshortfilm[at]gmail[dot]com. Any queries may also be sent to this email address.