Srinagar, Nov 30, KNT: Delhi Public School (DPS) Srinagar has brought laurels to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by securing the First Runner-Up position at the National Film Festival organised by The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF), marking a major national recognition for the institution and its students.
The grand finale of the competition was held on November 27, 2025, after a rigorous multi-stage national screening process that saw participation from 175 schools across India. Out of the total entries, only 12 schools qualified for the final round, making DPS Srinagar’s achievement a significant milestone.
The school’s winning entry was a short film titled “Raavan Tyol: The Unhealed Wound,” produced by a team of three students, Manaal Hussain, Zaigham Wajahat and Hadi Imtiyaz, under the mentorship of faculty member Sajad Mohiuddin. The film was based on the festival’s theme “The Last Internet Café.”
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Set in a dystopian future where the internet has disappeared and exists only in memory, the story follows a young girl’s struggle to save her critically ill sister. When she discovers an old journal leading her to what may be the last surviving internet café on Earth, she places blind faith in the digital information she finds there. Her unquestioning trust ultimately leads to tragic consequences, delivering a powerful warning against uncritical dependence on online content and highlighting the importance of human judgment and critical thinking.
The jury praised the film for its originality, storytelling depth and technical proficiency, describing it as “professional-level filmmaking worthy of national and international film festivals.”
Principal Shafaq Afshan congratulated the students and their mentor, stating that the achievement reflected the school’s sustained focus on nurturing creativity and excellence beyond academics. Chairman Vijay Dhar also lauded the team, saying the recognition validated the school’s emphasis on encouraging students to explore creative disciplines alongside conventional education.
Other finalists at the event included leading schools from New Delhi, Kolkata, Mohali, Jaipur, Chennai, Dehradun and Bulandshahr, placing DPS Srinagar among the country’s most competitively performing institutions in student filmmaking.
The school management expressed gratitude to tGELF for providing a national platform to showcase student talent and said the recognition would inspire more young learners from the region to pursue creative expression through cinema. [KNT
