16 May, Srinagar: On Tuesday, a touring international film festival with an emphasis on women, equality, diversity, and inclusion opened at the University of Kashmir and will run for two days.
According to a university statement, the Samabhav Festival was organised by KU’s Centre for Women’s Studies and Research, Media Education and Research Centre, and Department of Social Work, in conjunction with the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC) and Men Against Violence & Abuse (MAVA).
Vice Chancellor Prof. Nilofer Khan opened the festival as the special guest, saying she hoped the young people in attendance would gain an appreciation for filmmaking and an understanding of the need of using cinema to bring attention to social concerns.
She said that young people may help bring about constructive social change by utilising cinema to spread their message on topics such as gender inequity.
The VC also extended his appreciation to EMRC, MAVA, and the other festival’s associated partners.
At the opening ceremony, the Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Professor Irshad A. Nawhoo, spoke about the many steps the University of Kashmir has done to make it easier for female students and researchers to advance through their studies.
According to Harish Sadani, co-founder and executive director of MAVA, the 5th edition of the Travelling International Film Festival is a student-centric programme in which students analyse, review, debate, and discuss the short-films, documentaries, and feature-length films shortly after they screen at the festival. The event, he said, focuses on “lights, camera, and inter(action).”
Before the film festival began, EMRC Director Dr. Salima Jan greeted the dignitaries, visitors, and student participants and outlined the festival’s overarching goals. She said that throughout the course of the two-day event, 12 films would be watched and discussed by around 200 students from the University of Kashmir, its associated institutions, Central University of Kashmir, Islamic University of Science and Technology, and North Campus KU.
In light of the gravity of the topic, the VC specifically invited students from the KU MERC, Department of Social Work, North Campus, Centre for Women’s Studies and Research, and the Internal Complaints Committee to attend the event.
Dr. Tariq Abdullah of the EMRC presided over the opening session, while Dr. Roshan Ara, Coordinator of CWSR, gave the vote of gratitude.
