SRFTI signs MoU with Indian horror film festival to showcase genre's popularity
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Keeping an eye on this growing interest, the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute Deemed To-Be University (SRFTI DTBU) signed an MoU with India's first horror/sci-fi/fantasy film festival to highlight the global importance of this genre. This is the first time when a govt-run film school in India is trying to course-correct the perception about Indian horror among its students, with plans for screenings, and introducing cosplay on campus.
"We set up a new department called Ipop, with branches like incubation, placement, outreach, and PR. Some employees of the institute are part of Ipop. As an initiative from the incubation branch, we signed this MoU with the Wench Film Festival. We will be providing the venue for the festival and will give students a different kind of exposure," said Samiran Datta, the vice-chancellor of SRFTI DTBU.
"Our collaboration with SRFTI marks a bold step in rewriting the cinematic syllabus.
Together, we're building India's first genre-forward academic alliance, one that doesn't just screen films but shapes futures. No one in India is truly investing in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy even though they're the most powerful genres globally. That's what makes this collaboration electric. It shows how progressive and artist-forward SRFTI is when it comes to nurturing its students," said Sapna Moti Bhavnani, founder and festival director of Wench Film Festival.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The most unconventional plan in the MoU is to host a cosplay competition on campus that will be judged by industry professionals. Students can design the official poster for the 2026 edition of the festival as well. They will be invited to submit genre-focused blog entries for the magazine published by the festival. If funds permit, SRFTI will start a 48-hour film-making challenge, with the winning film receiving a special mention and screening at the festival.
A similar plan is in the pipeline to encourage pitching. A call for feature-length genre screenplays and series will open in early Jan 2026, with a maximum of 10 selected scripts invited to pitch at the 'Pitch It Till You Make It' market during the festival. The rights to the selected films will belong to the student and not Wench or SRFTI.
If the initiative draws interest, plans have been chalked out for hosting a masterclass to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and genre storytelling. Several masterclasses for screenplay writers and prosthetics with hands-on learning experience in special effects (SFX) makeup are also on the cards.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Dinesh Vijan has done disservice to film industry through corporate booking, says Komal Nahata: ‘People are now questioning genuine hits'
The biggest hit of this year in India so far has been Laxman Utekar's historical action film Chhaava, starring Vicky Kaushal. It's produced by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films, which also scored the biggest hit of last year — Amar Kaushik's horror comedy Stree 2, starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, which became the first Hindi film to cross the Rs 600 crore mark in India. But leading trade analyst Komal Nahata feels Vijan has also done a lot of disservice to film trade. 'When Dinesh Vijan started this trend of block booking, on a huge scale by spending crores, I'd written in my articles then that he's doing such a disservice to the industry he doesn't realize it. The direct and true impact of that is now, the newspapers are questioning genuine hits,' argued Nahata. He further elaborated on Fairdoon Shahryar's podcast, 'The newspapers now think a film can't be a hit anymore. If every film is doing well, then there's something wrong. Because Dinesh Vijan, you've drilled it into people's heads that there's nothing like a genuine hit anymore. His own Chhaava, a super-duper hit, is also being pointed fingers at: is it such a big hit? So you've done disservice to your film also.' Nahata also blamed the industry practice of offering the 'buy one get one' scheme on movie tickets. 'The public is now demanding it as a matter of right. 'It's not free, let's not go.' So you've ruined the whole system for your personal gain,' added Nahata, who claimed exhibitors reach out to him to stop this practice as the audience now waits a week or two to let these offers kick in. So none of the new films are able to secure a good opening at the domestic box office. Tarun Mansukhani's hit whodunit comedy Housefull 5, starring Akshay Kumar and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, also employed that tactic by offering the scheme on its first Tuesday itself. Last week, the two new releases — Ajay Devgn's comedy Son of Sardaar 2 and Karan Johar-produced romantic drama Dhadak 2 — also offered the audience 50% discount using promo codes in order to combat the wave caused by Yash Raj Films' romance Saiyaara and Hombale Films' mythological animated film Mahavatar Narsimha. Also Read — Dinesh Vijan on success of Stree 2 and Chhaavaa, says Vicky Kaushal's Mahavatar will be a 'world-class film': 'Distribution is God' 'This isn't filmmaking, this isn't film business. You call this your style of promotion? Would you also murder two people and attract crowd in the theatres then? You can't change the definition of promotion just because you want to gather a crowd,' said Nahata, adding, 'You're a part of the industry. Don't change the dynamics of the industry so much that other producers, distributors, and exhibitors have to pay such a huge price for it.' Maddock Films' next, Tushar Jalota's romantic film Param Sundari, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, is slated to release in cinemas on August 29.
News18
14 hours ago
- News18
Kajol, Vatsal Sheth's Star-Studded Birthday Bash Is Giving Us Major FOMO
Kajol, who turned 51, shared her birthday with her twin by date, actor Vatsal Sheth. August 5 marked the birthdays of many beloved names in Bollywood, including Kajol, Genelia Deshmukh and Vatsal Sheth. On Tuesday, the actors celebrated their special day, with social media flooded with warm wishes and unseen glimpses from the celebrations. Kajol, who turned 51, shared her birthday with her twin by date, actor Vatsal Sheth. Television actress Ishita Dutta gave fans a peek into the heartwarming celebrations through a series of pictures shared on Instagram. Kajol and Vatsal Sheth's joint Birthday Bash On Tuesday, Ishita posted snaps from the intimate gathering hosted for Kajol and her husband, Vatsal. Alongside the photos, she wrote, 'Happy Birthday to my favourites…" The candid photos showed Kajol and Vatsal cutting more than five cakes together. Ishita, Vatsal's family and close friends were seen singing the birthday song for the two actors. Kajol's son Yug Devgn and her sister Sharbani Mukherjee were also present. Ajay Devgn and Nysa were missing from the event. One photo captured Ishita planting a kiss on Vatsal's cheek, while another showed the couple posing with Kajol. In one of the slides, Kajol can be seen twinning in red with Ishita and raising a glass of tea as they pose together. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ishita Dutta Sheth (@ishidutta) Kajol's Birthday Look Kajol looked radiant as ever as she celebrated her birthday in a stunning sleeveless bodycon red dress. With her hair tied up in a messy bun and gold statement earrings to finish the look, she kept it effortless yet striking. The glow was all natural and the smile said it all. Ajay Devgn's Wish on Kajol and Vatsal's Birthday While the day was filled with love from family, friends and fans, Ajay Devgn wished his wife in his signature style. Taking to Instagram, Ajay Devgn shared two stunning monochrome pictures of Kajol. The first one is a throwback picture and the second one is recent. In the caption, she wrote, 'Could say a lot, but you would still roll your eyes. So… happy birthday, favourite" View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) The Shaitaan actor also penned a quirky note for Vatsal Sheth, posting a photo of the two couples together and writing, 'Whenever you need me, look for a purple car… Happy Birthday, Vatsal." Kajol's Workfront Kajol continues to juggle between OTT and big-screen projects. She will soon be seen as a host alongside Twinkle Khanna in a new digital talk show. She was last seen in Kayoze Irani's debut film Sarzameen, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Ibrahim Ali Khan. Up next, she headlines the action drama Maharagni: Queen of Queens, which also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Prabhu Deva and Jisshu Sengupta. On her birthday, Kajol was honoured with the Raj Kapoor Award for her contribution to Indian cinema at the Maharashtra State Film Awards 2025. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Abhishek Banerjee's Birthday Wish For ‘Raja Babu' Amar Kaushik Is Unmissable
Last Updated: Abhishek has worked with Amar in his four directorial projects, including Stree, Stree 2, Bhediya and Bala, all made under Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films' banner. Amar Kaushik, the acclaimed director behind films like Stree and Stree 2, celebrated his birthday on Monday, August 4, 2025. To mark the occasion, his friend and frequent collaborator Abhishek Banerjee took to Instagram to share a hilarious birthday wish for the 'director with many talents," playfully referring to him as Raja Babu. The post offered a glimpse into the close bond shared by the actor and filmmaker. Notably, Abhishek has worked with Amar in his four directorial projects, including Stree, Stree 2, Bhediya and Bala, all made under Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films' banner. Abhishek Bannerjee's Birthday Post For Amar Kaushik The post begins with a mirror selfie of the actor-director duo, wherein Abhishek is seen in the front, clicking the picture, while Amar stands behind him and makes a funny face. Next post is a video featuring the filmmaker, dressed as Govinda from the film Raja Babu, shaking legs with actor Varun Dhawan on the iconic song Pak Chik Pak Raja Babu. Lastly, he dropped a throwback video of Amar, seemingly a dubsmash, in which he is seen making some funny faces. However, the audio of the clip has been muted. Sharing the post, the actor wrote in the caption, 'Happy birthday, Raja Babu Amar Kaushik. Aap sada amar rahe. Swipe to see one man with many talents." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abhishek Banerjee (@nowitsabhi) How Did Social Media React? As soon as the post was shared on Instagram, the comment section was flooded with reactions from fans and celebs alike. Responding to it, Amar wrote, 'Babu, jab post aajaye toh samajh lo… yaaraana 70mm pe chal raha hai!", thank you mere bhai." An Instagram user commented, 'The man who transformed Varun into Bhediya, himself got transformed into Raja Babu by Varun. Peak Cinema!" One of them shared, 'That's the reason he makes such hilarious movies. Love it. Happy Birthday to my fav director." Amar Kaushik's Work Front The filmmaker's last directorial project was Stree 2, featuring RajKummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurana, Pankaj Tripathi and Abhishek. The film, released on Independence Day 2024, was a big hit and earned more than Rs 600 crore at the box office. He will be next working with Vicky Kaushal in the mythological drama, Mahavatar, slated to be released on Christmas 2026. In the film, the actor will essay the character of Chiranjeevi Parashurama, a fierce warrior and one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Abhishek Banerjee's Work Front Abhishek, on the other hand, will be next seen in Imtiaz Ali's next production, Side Heroes, with Aparshakti Khurana and Varun Sharma. The film is slated to be released on the occasion of Friendship Day 2026. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
