Cinemates 4.0: 48-Hour Challenge Turns Ideas into Short Films
BENGALURU, 18 September 2026: Creativity, storytelling and the pressure of time came together at Cinemates 4.0, organised by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), as part of National Cinema Day. The event brought together aspiring filmmakers from across India, with the highlight being an inter-collegiate 48-hour short film-making challenge based on the theme Samaya (Time).
‘Courage to Create Matters More Than Winning’
Guest of honour Srinidhi Bengaluru, writer, director and Kannada filmmaker known for Blink, Jerax and Video, urged young filmmakers to embrace the creative process and participate without fear of failure.
“A film may begin with a script, but the process of filmmaking gives the story a life of its own,” Srinidhi said.
He added that participation itself was an achievement. “The real achievement is not always winning; it is having the courage to participate and put your work out there. Whether it’s a 48-hour filmmaking challenge or a feature film, the process will test you, but creating a film remains the best job in the world,” he said.
Creativity Under Pressure
Dr. Shraddha Kanwar, Chief Academic Officer, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), described the challenge as a celebration of creativity under extraordinary constraints.
“Technology may enable filmmaking, but human imagination remains the most powerful force behind cinema,” she said.
Dr. Bhargavi D Hemmige, HOD, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, praised participants for overcoming technical difficulties, exhaustion and unexpected challenges during the 48-hour race against time.
“Participants battled corrupted memory cards, lost voices, unexpected background noise and sleep deprivation, yet they did not quit. That grit is the true magic of cinema,” she said.
She noted that constraints could stimulate rather than suppress creativity, citing Swayamwara, shot in less than 24 hours, and Vishwaguru, produced within 51 hours and recognised with a Guinness World Record.
25+ Teams, 11 Shortlisted
More than 25 teams from across India participated, with 11 teams shortlisted by the jury. The challenge was preceded by a five-day workshop featuring sessions by director, writer and actor Aadarsh Eshwarappa on September 7 and 8, followed by Kannada theatre practitioner Chandra Keerthi from September 9 to 11. The sessions covered screenwriting, storytelling, theatre and visual expression.
As part of the celebrations, the university will also host “Mise-en-Scène”, an intra-collegiate exhibition on September 22 exploring Indian cinema through themes including horror, science fiction, comedy, romance, thriller and biopic. 
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