The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SOLAS), Presidency University, Bengaluru, organised Frames of Thought: A One-Day Film Symposium on 14 October 2026. The symposium explored cinema as an artistic, cultural, political and communicative medium, bringing critical perspectives on film into dialogue with professional filmmaking and student creative practice.

 

Morning Sessions

 

The morning programme featured two sessions examining key questions in cinema.

 

In ‘What Can the Screen Say? Censorship, Resistance and the Politics of Cinema’, Dr Rajesh James explored censorship, representation, resistance and the politics of cinematic expression. The session was followed by a discussion and Q&A.

 

The second session, ‘The Politics of the Cut: Documentary Editing, Representation, and Truth’, was led by Mr J J Abraham. It examined how editing shapes documentary narratives, influences representation and informs claims to truth. A discussion and Q&A followed.

 

Student Short-Film Contest

 

The post-lunch programme featured Beyond Words: Stories in Silence, a short-film contest showcasing four student films. The contest encouraged visual storytelling without spoken dialogue, foregrounding communication, accessibility, inclusion and representation. The jury was introduced, and the films were screened as part of the programme. The first prize was shared by two recipients, while the runner-up prize was also shared by two recipients.

 

The symposium brought critical perspectives on cinema into conversation with the practical dimensions of filmmaking, editing and visual communication.

 

About the Speakers

 

Dr Rajesh James
Associate Professor, Department of English, Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Kochi

 

Dr Rajesh James is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with a PhD in Film Studies. His research has appeared in publications including ARIEL, Studies in Documentary Film, Wacana Seni and Economic and Political Weekly. His documentary films include Slaves of the Empire (2024), In Thunder, Lightning and Rain (2018), Naked Wheels (2017) and Zebra Lines (2014). His awards include the Kerala State Award for Best Documentary (2020) and the Tongues on Fire Flame Award for Best Documentary at the UK Asian Film Festival (2025).

 

Mr J J Abraham
Editor, Independent Filmmaker, Producer and Post-Production Professional, Bengaluru

 

Mr J J Abraham is a Bengaluru-based film professional whose experience spans editing, filmmaking, production and post-production. His professional roles include Research and Post-Production Associate and Second Unit Director at Netflix (2021–2023), and Studio Manager, Producer and Senior Video Editor at Visa (2024–2026). His film credits include Chachan, A Day, Stories from the Second Floor, Salt & Sugar and Third Station: The Flood. He has also worked as editor on Slaves of the Empire and as director and editor of The Silent Wave.