The sci-fi horror film ‘Signal’, directed by Sagi Sree Hari Varma from Visakhapatnam city, has been selected as a finalist in Australia’s SF3 SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3), said to be one of the world’s biggest film festivals. Filmed entirely in Italy, ‘Signal’ has already garnered awards in Europe.
The film is one of the 22 finalists selected from over 400 qualified films submitted globally. “SF3 is recognised as a leading and innovative film festival, celebrated for screening its finalists at iconic Sydney venues, including the Sydney Opera House and the Palace Chauvel Cinema,” says Hari Varma.
“My team and I are beyond excited to be finalists. It’s a dream come true to be accepted into a prestigious film festival like SF3. We shot ‘Signal’ on an iPhone, and now it will be screened at such an iconic festival to audiences on the other side of the world,” he said.
‘Signal’ had earlier grabbed the limelight by bagging four awards and was the ‘most awarded’ short film at the ‘Cinemadamare’, held in Italy from July 1 to 27. “Though we had rehearsals for a week for the short film, once the actual shooting began, it was completed in 3 minutes in a single shot. I am grateful to the local government and the police in Italy for their support,” Hari Varma told The Hindu.
The tremendous success of ‘Signal’ gave him a lot of confidence. He now plans to make a full-length feature film on the same topic. Thanking the SF3 festival organisers and the judges for recognising the work and for the incredible opportunity, Mr. Hari Varma also expressed gratitude to his parents S.V.S.N. Raju, an executive engineer in the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority, and mother Sagi Anuradha for their support.
The international recognition, coming on the heels of the recent felicitations and appreciation for his film by Minister for Cinematography and Tourism Kandula Durgesh, has Hari Varma and his team elated. “The film is receiving attention around the globe and also received appreciation recently from noted Hollywood directors Ted Melfi and Tarsem Singh,” he said.
Published – November 02, 2025 06:45 pm IST
