Vizag Filmmaker’s iPhone Short ‘Signal’ Wins Global Praise

Visakhapatnam filmmaker Sagi Sree Hari Varma has earned international acclaim with his sci-fi horror short film Signal, which has been selected as a finalist at Australia’s SF3 SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3) — one of the world’s leading smartphone film festivals.

Shot entirely in Italy, Signal is among 22 finalists chosen from over 400 entries worldwide. The festival screens its official selections at iconic Sydney venues, including the Sydney Opera House and Palace Chauvel Cinema.

“It’s a dream come true to see our film reach this stage,” said Hari Varma. “We shot Signal completely on an iPhone, and now it’s being shown to audiences across the globe.”

Earlier this year, Signal made a mark in Italy, winning four awards and being named the ‘Most Awarded Short Film’ at Cinemadamare 2024, held from July 1 to 27. “We rehearsed for a week and completed the entire three-minute film in one continuous take,” he shared, thanking Italian authorities and police for their cooperation.

Buoyed by the film’s success, Hari Varma now plans to develop Signal into a full-length feature film. He expressed gratitude to the SF3 organisers and jury, and thanked his parents — S.V.S.N. Raju, Executive Engineer at the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA), and Sagi Anuradha — for their support.

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Cinematography and Tourism Kandula Durgesh congratulated the filmmaker for bringing global attention to Visakhapatnam. The film has also drawn appreciation from Hollywood directors Ted Melfi and Tarsem Singh.

“The response to Signal inspires us to keep exploring new ideas,” said Hari Varma. “It’s incredible to see a film shot on an iPhone in Italy gain recognition on a world stage.”