Visakhapatnam filmmaker’s short film ‘Signal’ heads to Cannes and Academy

Visakhapatnam-born filmmaker Sagi Sree Hari Varma’s short film ‘Signal’, shot entirely on an iPhone in black and white, is set to be screened at the 79th Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film, the festival’s international film market, on May 15, 2026, and later at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles on June 9, as part of the Gold Rising Programme’s 10th Anniversary Opening Day.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Varma described the journey of ‘Signal’ as surreal and said that the project began as a proof-of-concept for a larger feature-length techno-horror film he has been developing over the past two years. “The short film was initially meant to help me pitch the feature version to studios and investors. We never imagined it would travel this far,” he said.

The 2-minute-54-second film, conceived as a “techno-horror theatrical experience”, explores a world plunged into chaos after the collapse of digital connectivity. Made during Varma’s participation in the CinemadaMare filmmaking fellowship in Italy, the film is led by Swedish actor Olivia Hoy and shot in a single take on an iPhone, a choice Mr. Varma describes not as a limitation but as the most effective tool for a film that needed to move fluidly through multiple locations in one continuous sequence.

Mr. Varma studied at a private educational institution in Visakhapatnam before moving to the Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehradun. He later pursued Computer Science Engineering at SJB Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, where he began making short films. Subsequently, he studied at VGIK, the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow, attended a summer programme at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, and earned a Certificate in Journalism from the University of California, Los Angeles.

In 2019, he became, by his account, the only Indian national selected for the Academy Gold Rising programme. He will also participate in a panel discussion alongside Oscar-nominated director Ted Melfi at the Academy screening on June 9.

‘Signal’ has won awards across six continents, Mr. Varma said, earning the Main Prize at multiple international festivals including the SmartFone Flick Fest in Sydney, the Istanbul International Spring Film Festival, the Indian International Panorama Film Festival in Mumbai, and the Modern Black and White Film Festival in Argentina, among others. The film also had its North American premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, he added.

The response in India had been equally encouraging, Varma recounted, with a felicitation at the Palakollu International Short Film Festival by Andhra Pradesh Minister for Cinematography Kandula Durgesh.

Mr. Varma expressed gratitude to his mentors Ned Price and Ted Melfi, Bettina Fisher of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and producer Shobu Yarlagadda for their support.

“The dream now is to make ‘Signal’ into a feature-length film and create a larger immersive theatrical experience for audiences,” he added.