Hans News Service Bengaluru

Jainuniversity, hosted the third edition of ‘Jain University Short Film Festival 2026’ organised by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. The film festival showcased the compelling and diverse narratives that influence the daily lives of society through the cinematic experience of short films. The event was graced by Kannada Filmfare Critics awardee for Best actor, Naveen Shankar, for his role of “Aadhi” in the film, Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage, along with Dr. Dinesh Nilkant, Dr. Kiran S, Dr. Sangeeta Devanathan and Dr. Bhargavi D Hemminge.

As a part of the jury for Jain University Short Film Festival, Sri Crazy Minds, Editor, Cinematographer of the Love Mocktail series, underlining the significance of good writing and editing, elaborated “A remarkable movie is shaped on two tables, the writing table for an exceptional story and the editing table for bringing the movie to life.” Expanding his quote to the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the silver screen industry, “AI can never replicate the intricacies of human emotion and is a decade too early to be an intrinsic part of the cinematic industry.”

Jury panel member, B.S. Kemparaju, Kannada film Editor, Just Maath Maathali, stressing on the importance of a good story for a good film stated: “The core essence for a good film is a good script; Writing a good script serves as an integral guide for any cinema to be successful.”

Naveen Shankar, film actor & Kannada Filmfare award winner, commended the initiative of Jain University and the festival, stating “Opportunities like these film festivals remind us that cinema is not just about big screens, but about ideas, passion, and the courage to start. What starts as a small effort in a college campus can grow into something truly impactful. It’s encouraging to see students being given the space to explore their creativity and build a voice of their own.” Further he added, “short films, in particular, offer an incredible platform for aspiring filmmakers to experiment, understand the craft, and experience the realities of cinema at a foundational level. I am truly impressed by the initiative taken by Jain University to create such platform of opportunities to showcase creative talents and connect enthusiastic students with film industry.”

Underscoring the importance of creativity and its origin in the category of short films, Dr. Dinesh Nilkant, Pro-Vice Chancellor, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) “Creativity makes a difference with the best talents always budding from the colleges and universities and not from big studios. We at Jain University are building such platforms to nurture future film makers.”

Accentuating the development of short films from a base to important platforms, Dr. Kiran S Deputy-Dean of Academics, Jain (Deemed-to-be University) stated “Short films are no longer stepping stones, they are powerful storytelling formats in their own right.”

Dr. Sangeeta Devanathan, Deputy-Dean of Academics, Professor, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) highlighted the importance of critical thinking in short films stating “Critical thinking requires us to think creatively.” She further compared the current scenario of short films to mainstream films stating that “Gone are the days of movies running two to three hours giving the audience a compelling reason to stay, however now, the short film format is truly the future of storytelling in this art form.”