The Cineaste International Film Festival of India (CIFFI) is well established film festival, jointly organized by Deakin University, Australia and Delhi Metropolitan Education (DME), Noida, India since 2018; the fourth edition of Cineaste International Film Festival of India was organised from 15-21st December 2022 on the central theme Cinema for Togetherness.
This year the festival received 3365 films from 112 countries. A total of 365 films were selected for screening in the festival which is supported by 20 industry and educational partners. The aim of this collaborative film festival is to showcase emerging, and established work from across the world, create a network of film practitioners and students, and explore various “possibilities for interaction and communication” between audience and filmmakers.
This year the University of Nottingham joined CIFFI 2022 as an international partner and hosted a one-day hybrid symposium at the New International Conference Centre, UNNC on 16th December 2022. The audience from Australia and India connected virtually to this symposium. DME’s Studio 62 in India hosted more than 100 students to attend the symposium virtually and be a part of the Q&A session.
Dr Filippo Gilardi the Head of School of International Communication at the University of Nottingham states, “It was a great pleasure to collaborate with DME and Deakin University in the organization of the CIFFI 2022. This was a great opportunity for our students to see their creative works screed internationally. We hope this will only be the beginning of a productive and enduring collaboration”.
The symposium kickstarted with the welcome by the CIFFI festival directors – Professor Ambrish Saxena (DME, India) and Dr Vikrant Kishore (UNNC), followed by a welcome note by Dr Filippo Gilardi – Head of School International Communications, UNNC.
Professor Ambrish Saxena from DME, India observes, “we are incredibly proud to be partnering with Nottingham University China campus for CIFFI 2022. This international film festival has brought together students, industry professionals and filmmakers from around the world to celebrate the art of storytelling through film. CIFFI carries value since it has fostered creativity and collaboration in an intimate environment. We have created a platform for new ideas and stories by bringing together many talented filmmakers, students, and industry professionals.”
The symposium featured two panel discussions. The first was on “Student Filmmaking post Covid-19”, that had two students each from the University of Nottingham, China (Yuchen Peng, Beile Hu), Delhi Metropolitan Education (Tanishka Tiwari, Nitin Gupta), India, and Deakin University, Australia (Meg Walch, Douglas Bicker). This panel discussion was moderated by Dr Levi Dean (Teaching fellow, UNNC).
The second panel moderated by Dr Vikrant Kishore (UNNC) focused on “Sino-Indian film Co-production – Challenges and Opportunities”, this panel comprised of academics and media practitioners, such as Abbas Muzaffar (Filmmaker, India), Zhaoyu Zhu (Teaching Fellow, UNNC), Sri Kishore (Filmmaker, Hong Kong), Chandra K. Jha (Film Distributor, India/Nepal) and Shiying Liu (University of Nottingham, UK).
Films by the students at the University of Nottingham, China, and Deakin University, Australia were screened during the festival and were appreciated for its novelty, storytelling, and technical finesse.
Dr Vikrant Kishore, an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham and the festival director of CIFFI mentions, “The space that CIFFI has built internationally in the last four years is incredible, providing an opportunity for student filmmakers to showcase their work, and network with industry experts and practitioners. Prominent personalities from the Creative Industries participate in various panel discussions during the festival, and conducted insightful and interesting masterclasses.” This year, it was a livelier, thought-provoking, and an exciting film festival, where people from more than 100 countries connected to celebrate CIFFI – Cinema for Togetherness.
Professor Saxena added, “CIFFI is a forum for important conversations about the state of the film industry today. Nottingham University has provided the perfect support for this festival because of its commitment to creativity, innovation, and collaboration. The university is home to a diverse student population and a thriving film community. We are confident that this festival will continue to provide an incredible opportunity for all involved.”
Mr Tigmanshu Dhulia, eminent film director and actor, continues to be the Festival Ambassador of CIFFI right from the beginning. He notes, ‘the festival provides its participants an incredible opportunity to interact with filmmakers across geographical boundaries’. CIFFI will organise its fifth edition in December 2023.
