The opening ceremony featured Subrata Roy, Founder and Managing Director of Hi-Tech Animation Studio, as the chief guest, alongside guests of honor Veerendra K Patil, Founder and Creative Director of Zebu Animation, and Shyam Deshpande, Art Director at Krafton India. They were joined by Chandigarh University Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr) Raviraja N Sitharam and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academics) Prof (Dr) VR Raghuveer. In a profound address, Subrata Roy emphasized that AI integration is an essential evolution beyond conventional syllabi, urging creators to master technology lest they become its servants. He cautioned that art must generate economic value to remain sustainable, advising students to prioritize "sellable content" over passion alone. Veerendra K Patil echoed this sentiment, framing Artificial Intelligence as the next step in creative evolution and urging the next generation to embrace it as a vital tool. Patil stressed that mastery of fundamentals—lighting, design, and animation—is the only way to communicate effectively with machines, further noting that a filmmaker’s life experiences are the ultimate wellspring for authentic storytelling.
The technical and collaborative nature of modern art was further elucidated by Shyam Deshpande, who remarked that art thrives on feedback and must often adapt to audience expectations and business realities. Deshpande argued that while intuition is vital, a clear intent must back every artistic decision to prevent work from becoming merely surface-level. Supporting this vision of experiential learning, Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr) Raviraja N Sitharam highlighted that Chandigarh University empowers students to go beyond the classroom, adapting storytelling techniques to suit an era of 20–30 second attention spans through both creative and scientific understanding. The festival’s vast lineup—encompassing short films, documentaries, showreels, and advertisements—was scrutinized by an esteemed jury including Prof (Dr) Sebastian Pagueguy of Posten Digital Arts and Universidad de Chile, Sachitha Kalingamudali of Mogo Studios, Bollywood director Rohit Tiwari, Syed Nadeem Akhtar of Digitoonz, and immersive technology expert Krupasagar Sridharan.
As the youngest university in India to hold a NAAC A+ Grade and a QS World Ranking, Chandigarh University continues to set benchmarks in multidisciplinary education across 109 programs. The conclusion of CUIFF’26 will see the presentation of prestigious awards for Showreel Excellence, Video Advertising Excellence, and the best works in VFX, Animation, AI Film, and Documentary categories. This landmark event not only celebrates the technical prowess of established global experts but also cements the university's role as a primary incubator for the next generation of international cinematic talent.
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