FIRDOUS AHMAD
AWANTIPORA, Oct 25: The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (DJMC) at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, is set to host a One-Day Film Festival on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, in collaboration with Film Southasia (FSA) — a premier platform dedicated to showcasing non-fiction cinema from the South Asian region. The event will be held at the Conference Hall of the Rumi Library, IUST, and will mark the arrival of the internationally acclaimed Travelling FSA 2025 to Kashmir.
The upcoming festival aims to foster a creative dialogue between filmmakers, academicians, and students, offering them a platform to engage in meaningful discussions about the art, craft, and evolving trends of filmmaking. By bringing world-class documentary cinema to the Valley, the initiative seeks to inspire local talent and encourage critical appreciation of visual storytelling.
According to organisers, the festival will feature screenings of a curated selection of critically acclaimed films and documentaries, each representing diverse socio-political, cultural, and environmental narratives from across South Asia. The event will also include a competitive segment among various educational institutions, with the Best Film Award to be conferred upon the winning entry.
Each screening will be followed by interactive discussions, reflections, and critical analyses aimed at deepening participants’ understanding of documentary cinema. Students and aspiring filmmakers will have the opportunity to engage directly with seasoned professionals and jurors, gaining insights into both creative and technical dimensions of filmmaking.
The Vice Chancellor of IUST, Prof. Shakil A. Romshoo, will preside over the festival, highlighting the university’s commitment to nurturing media literacy, creative expression, and cross-cultural understanding among students.
The jury panel for the event will include Mitu Varma, Director of Film Southasia, and Akmal Hanan, Producer at the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC), University of Kashmir, both of whom bring years of experience in documentary filmmaking and media production.
The DJMC-IUST Film Festival 2025 follows the success of the 2023 edition, which had received overwhelming student participation and witnessed collaboration among academic institutions across the Valley. Organisers expressed confidence that the upcoming edition would further strengthen the university’s tradition of promoting cinematic education and artistic dialogue.
The festival promises to be a vibrant confluence of creativity, learning, and cinematic exploration — a step forward in cementing Kashmir’s growing association with visual storytelling and documentary culture.
