Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!š Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. AWANTIPORA: The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (DJMC), Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), in collaboration with Film Southasia (FSA), hosted the Travelling FSA Film Festival 2025 today. The festival brought to Kashmir a collection of internationally acclaimed films from across South Asia, celebrating the power of storytelling through documentary and independent cinema.
The festival featured a competitive showcase of independent and student films, followed by interactive post-screening discussions encouraging dialogue between filmmakers and audiences. Nineteen films were screened, including fifteen student entries and four critically acclaimed films from the FSA collection.
Presiding over the inaugural session, Prof. A. H. Moon, Dean Academic Affairs, IUST, commended the initiative as a meaningful step toward intercultural communication through films. āBy organising film festivals and creating spaces where art and media converge, the department is nurturing critical thinkers and creative storytellers who can contribute meaningfully to our times,ā he said.
Director, Film Southasia, Mitu Varma said, it is their mission to see South Asia as āone cultural space.ā āThere are several challenges, but itās time to come together and seek solutions from within ourselves, because divided, we will not get anywhere,ā she said. Akmal Hanan, Producer at the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC), University of Kashmir, said, the festival has brought together films, filmmakers and audiences from diverse backgrounds, fostering dialogue and understanding through storytelling. Dr. Afroz Bisati, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, IUST, lauded DJMC for creating a bridge between academia and society through visual storytelling. āFilms reflect society and inspire change. Such events bring meaningful conversations to life,ā she noted.
Earlier, welcoming the participants Head, DJMC, Dr. Rabia Noor, said the event aimed to celebrate the power of films, not just as a form of art and entertainment, ābut as a medium that informs, inspires and ignites a meaningful dialogue about the art and practice of filmmaking.ā āThe collaboration with Film Southasia marks a significant step in enriching our studentsā engagement with documentary and visual storytelling, which is a vital component of media education,ā she added.
Meanwhile, of a special edition of the IUST news magazine, Times Echo, themed on disaster management was released on the occasion. The festival concluded with the announcement of awards Stitch, a film by Government Degree College, Baramulla, won the Best Film Award. Dr. Ruheela Hassan, Dean Outreach, IUST, delivered the formal vote of thanks. The festival was supported by Kashmir Observer as the media partner, and sponsored by Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd., Birla School Open Minds International School Pampore, Medina Enterprises, and Kaphtech Infrastructure.
