Media festival inspires hope through storytelling and cinema

Nagpur: The Archdiocese of Nagpur's Media and Communication Cell (NAMCOM), in collaboration with ICYM Nagpur, organised the Jubilee Media Festival 2025 on October 12 at St Charles Centenary Memorial Auditorium, Seminary Hills. The event, themed "Rays of Hope," celebrated the Jubilee of Pilgrims of Hope and attracted participation from parishes, schools, and congregations across the region. The day-long festival was presided over by Fr Linto Peter, Director of NAMCOM, and Assistant Director Fr Jomise Joy, alongside ICYM Nagpur Director Fr Augustine Antony DSilva. Its objective was to encourage both youth and adults to utilise media for social transformation and to convey messages of faith and hope. A key highlight was a media workshop led by filmmaker Dr Shaison P Ouseph, His session on storytelling and media strategy encouraged participants to integrate spiritual values with creative skills. A short film competition under the theme "Rays of Hope" received entries from nine institutions, with St John Paul II Parish, Hazaripahad, securing first prize. St Francis de Sales Cathedral and St Francis de Sales School, Sadar, took the subsequent positions, while St Vincent Pallotti was recognised for achieving maximum online engagement. Archbishop Elias Gonsalves felicitated Ouseph and actors Kaushiki Nashikar and Snehalata Siddharth for their contributions.