A Colourful and Intellectual Celebration of Cinema on a University Campus, as reported by Utpal Datta, explores how festivals like TIFA inspire students, nurture creativity, enrich academic spaces, and shape the next generation of thoughtful, engaged filmmakers.

This report on the Teen Indie Film Award (TIFA) at RV University highlights how film festivals on academic campuses foster creativity, encourage critical thinking, and promote hands-on learning. With screenings, discussions, student-led organisation, and contributions from filmmakers, educators, and scholars, TIFA showcases the power of cinema education in nurturing emerging talent and bridging artistic expression with academic inquiry. The festival’s emphasis on participation, innovation, and intellectual rigor stresses how universities can become vibrant cultural spaces that inspire future filmmakers and creative thinkers.

A university truly comes alive when it offers ideas that stir the mind—through discussions, creative work, and meaningful academic engagement. The regular seminars, book launches, and cultural programmes across campuses constantly remind us of this intellectual vibrancy. At one such lively event hosted by RV University in Bengaluru, I had the opportunity to participate on behalf of Assam down town University. The School of Film, Media and Creative Arts organised the festival, charmingly titled the Teen Indie Film Award—TIFA.

Student Creativity at the Heart of TIFA

Alongside several film-related competitions, TIFA featured an exciting challenge: participants had to create a short film—or even a five-minute film segment—within just 48 hours. I was lucky to be present during the judging. Students from RV University and other institutions showcased their work in a lovely screening theatre. After each screening, the jury engaged the teams with sharp, thoughtful questions. These conversations often proved as absorbing as the films themselves.

Listening to the young filmmakers speak—their ideas about society, cinema, their times, their cultural roots, and their restless search for fresh forms of storytelling—felt like peeking into the vibrant inner world of the coming generation of cine-artists.

The festival, held from 10 to 14 November, opened with Arunjeet Bora’s Assamese film Goodbye Guruji, which is yet to be released in Assam. Each day featured screenings across multiple halls, along with parallel thematic discussions. What made the festival truly gratifying was the students' spirited participation, which took ownership of every session with curiosity and confidence.

 

Debates, Dialogues, and Academic Insight

One of the key discussions on the second day centred on “Filmmaking in Northeast India.” Moderated by Professor Rahul Deb, the panel featured Arunjeet Bora and myself. One question dominated the audience’s curiosity: can filmmakers from outside the region capture the Northeast authentically? We addressed this by citing examples, and the audience, too, shared their strong views—several pointing out that mainstream Hindi films often portray the region in wildly inaccurate ways.

Another delightful session was a conversation between Professor Rahul Jayaram and Professor Dwarika Prasad Uniyal, the narrator of the documentary Eternal Ram. Professor Uniyal—Pro-Vice-Chancellor of RV University, poet, and documentary filmmaker—brought an intellectual warmth to the conversation, making it a rare and engaging academic exchange.

Cinema can thrive within academic spaces only when it becomes part of the curriculum in a thoughtful, organic way. A rich discussion on this theme was led by Dr. Piyush Roy—Dean and National Award–winning film critic. The panel included Dean Anuradha Chatterjee, Program Director Nikhil Murti, acting faculty veteran Juliana James, and Associate Professor of Journalism Rahul Jayaram.

There was unanimous agreement: undergraduate creative arts programmes must strike a balance between rigorous theory and meaningful hands-on learning. Students also need discussions, workshops, mentoring, and project-based work to find their own artistic voices. Professor Jayaram’s brief reference to Assamese literature available in English translation was an unexpectedly heartwarming moment.

Although my formal sessions were limited to two, I remained at the festival for four days to observe the department’s work. During this time, Dr. Piyush Roy screened a remarkable documentary.

 

Honouring Legacy and Inspiring Excellence

As this year marks the centenary of Guru Dutt's birth, tributes are being organised across the country. Dr. Roy, along with his colleagues and students, has created a documentary that interprets the philosophical dimensions of Guru Dutt’s cinema. While philosophical explorations of artistic works are common in the West, such reflections on Indian filmmakers are rare. This documentary opens a refreshing pathway into cinematic thought.

Professor V. Krishnappa from the Philosophy Department explains the philosophical essence of Guru Dutt’s films with striking clarity. The documentary blends original clips with recreations performed by students who retain the aesthetic beauty of the scenes. The cinematography and editing of these recreated segments are surprisingly close to the originals. While the film may still need some technical polishing, the imagination behind it is exceptional. Such daring intellectual work strengthens the very spirit of academic inquiry.

Another significant highlight of TIFA was the launch of the book Celluloid Kingdom: A History of the Indian Studio Era by Dr Ujjval Chandra Das. The event drew film scholars, cinephiles, and curious students alike. Dr Das spoke about the studio era’s forgotten legacy, the cultural transformation of early Indian cinema, and the industrial backbone that shaped its evolution. The launch added a historical and scholarly depth to the festival, reminding everyone that cinema must also be read, questioned, and understood.

Among the special guests was actor Amit Behl, who also serves as the Secretary of the Media & Entertainment Skills Council. His conversation on “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Actors” sparked a lively, future-facing debate about how technology may reshape creative professions.

The most impressive part of the five-day celebration was that almost everything was executed by the students under their teachers' guidance. They learned every aspect of organising a film festival—budgeting, scheduling, publicity, technical arrangements, hospitality, and even the live broadcast of the awards ceremony. This blend of hands-on experience and intellectual exploration was perhaps TIFA’s most outstanding achievement.

RV University may feel justifiably proud of hosting such a meaningful and thoughtfully curated festival, one that ignited fresh ideas while giving students real-world experience. For the audience and the institution alike, TIFA offered both the spark of intellectual discovery and the joy of watching students transform learning into practice—a rewarding experience in every sense.