Mooo Fest Marks New Era in Creative and Film Pedagogy at Anant National University
Prof Sekhar Mukherjee’s Mooo Fest Sets New Benchmark in Film Education
Five-Day Festival Blends Workshops, Screenings and Global Knowledge Exchange to Prepare Students for the Future of Film and Media
- Bilkul Online | By Rafat Quadri
- Ahmedabad | 28 No 2025
Anant National University has launched Mooo Fest, an international moving image festival curated exclusively for students and creative academics. The five-day academic celebration marks a significant milestone in Anant’s mission to expand creative horizons and equip students with a global, future-ready understanding of cinema and moving-image practices.
Conceived as a dynamic, student-centric creative platform, Mooo Fest is the brainchild of Prof Sekhar Mukherjee, whose vision and leadership shaped the festival’s theme, identity and pedagogical approach. His concept brings together movement, imagination, sound, storytelling and the experimental spirit that defines contemporary moving-image culture.
Prof Sekhar Mukherjee: The Creative Force Behind Mooo Fest
Elaborating on the festival’s purpose, Prof Sekhar Mukherjee, Professor and Programme Lead, Moving Image, School of Design, Anant National University, said:
“Mooo Fest is a celebration of creativity, curiosity and collaboration. It deepens our students’ understanding of moving image and prepares them for the rapidly evolving cinematic and media industries. By bringing global perspectives to our campus, the festival enriches our students’ worldviews while keeping their practice rooted in context.”
His creative authorship of Mooo Fest establishes it as a unique academic platform where emerging storytellers can reflect, question, experiment and express.
Dr Sanjeev Vidyarthi Strengthens Academic Discourse with Global Interactions
Adding institutional leadership to the inaugural edition, Dr Sanjeev Vidyarthi, Provost, Anant National University, remained actively present during the festival’s key sessions. He interacted with students, overseas professors, creative practitioners and the media, emphasising Anant’s commitment to global academic collaborations and creative innovation. His engagement underscored the university’s belief in future-facing, interdisciplinary learning.
International Artists and Educators Join Anant’s Creative Movement
The festival hosts a remarkable lineup of global and Indian creative leaders, including:
- Gailė Cijūnaitytė, interdisciplinary artist, Lithuania
- Prof Gintarė Valevičiūtė Brazauskienė, Associate Professor, Vilnius Academy of the Arts, Lithuania
- Prof Isabel Herguera, animation director and educator, KHM, Germany
- Prof Hans Koch, Sound Design, KHM, Germany
- Silas Hickey, Founder, Custom Nuts Studio, Tokyo, Japan
- Vaibhav Kumaresh, award-winning Indian animator
- Francoise Chalet, visual artist and educator, HSLU, Switzerland
- Prateek Sethi, Founder Director, Trip Creative Service, Mumbai
- Master students from KHM, Germany
- Soumya Chakravarti, Retd Physics Professor, California
Their participation transforms Mooo Fest into a thriving global exchange of ideas, creative methods and cinematic philosophies.
A Festival Designed for Engagement, Critique and Creation
With workshops, screenings, panel discussions and collaborative learning spaces, Mooo Fest fosters cycles of observation, dialogue and creation. By situating filmmaking within cultural, historical and contemporary contexts, the festival invites students to view the moving image not just as entertainment but as a powerful medium of communication, culture and collective memory.
Anant University’s Vision for Future Creators
Rooted in Anant’s mission to prepare “solutionaries,” the festival deepens the university’s international engagement while nurturing a holistic environment where experimentation, critical inquiry and innovation thrive.
Recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the Government of Gujarat, and awarded a 5-Star GSIRF Rating in Architecture and 4-Star University Rating (2023–24), Anant National University continues to be celebrated for its global relevance, design-forward pedagogy and interdisciplinary approach.
With the launch of Mooo Fest, Anant strengthens its position as a pioneering institution shaping the next generation of designers, filmmakers and creative thinkers—through a festival conceptualised and championed by Prof Sekhar Mukherjee.
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