IUST to host film festival; over 20 entries shortlisted

Awantipora: The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (DJMC), Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), will organise the national-level Film Festival 2026 on October 15 at the Lal Ded Auditorium, IUST Main Campus.

The festival will feature screenings of short films and documentaries, an expert panel discussion, and a competition among school, college and university students.

The best films will be selected by a jury comprising renowned filmmakers and critics.

The jury members include Proessor Shahid Rasool, Dean Academic Affairs and Dean of the Media School at the Central University of Kashmir; Mir Sarwar, Bollywood actor and director; and Danish Renzu, filmmaker and founder of Renzu Films.

More than 20 short films and documentaries have been shortlisted for the competition, with student filmmakers from colleges and universities across Jammu and Kashmir and other states participating. Some films produced by DJMC will also be screened.

The festival aims to nurture young creative talent and promote cinema, arts and culture in the region.

The initiative builds on the success of the 2023 and 2025 editions, which witnessed enthusiastic student participation and collaboration among institutions across the Valley.