Cineverse 2027: LJIMC's Short Film Festival Opens Entries, With a Category for Vertical Drama
The theme of a festival is often an afterthought, a phrase chosen to look good on a lanyard. Cineverse 2027 has chosen one that is worth reading slowly: Changing Lenses, Shifting Perspective. The first half is technical, the second moral. Together they describe what a short film does best, which is to make an audience see an ordinary thing from somewhere unexpected.
The festival is organised by the LJ Institute of Media and Communications (LJIMC) at LJ University, Ahmedabad, and its poster is now out.
Key dates
1. Early-bird registration closes: 10 December 2026
2. Last date of submission: 10 January 2027
3. Festival: 19 February 2027
Categories
Fiction
Non-fiction
Ad films
Vertical drama
The poster adds that AI and animation films are accepted.
Fees
Students: ₹800 early bird, then ₹1,000
Independent filmmakers: ₹1,000 early bird, then ₹1,500
The category that stands out
Three of the four categories are what one would expect. The fourth is a sign of the times. Vertical drama, stories shot for a phone held upright, has grown from a curiosity into a format with its own apps, audiences and production economy. A college festival giving it a dedicated category is a small but telling acknowledgement that the frame itself has changed.
The explicit welcome for AI-made work is similarly candid. Many festivals are still deciding where they stand. Cineverse has simply opened the door, which places the burden of judgement on its jury rather than its rulebook.
Before you submit
The poster does not list runtime limits, formats or eligibility rules, so the rules page linked through the QR code is the place to check. Three practical points:
Register before 10 December if you can; the saving is ₹200 for students and ₹500 for independent filmmakers.
Choose your category carefully. A short shot vertically for Instagram is not automatically a "vertical drama", and a branded story may sit better under ad films.
If AI tools were part of your process, say so. Transparency tends to serve a filmmaker better than discovery.
For questions, LJIMC asks entrants to message its Instagram account. Readers interested in how creative industries are handling AI might also find our piece on YouTube Music's AI labels useful context.
Frequently asked questions
When is Cineverse 2027?
The festival date on the poster is 19 February 2027, at LJ University, Ahmedabad.
What are the categories?
Fiction, non-fiction, ad films and vertical drama. AI and animation films are accepted.
How much does it cost to enter?
Early-bird registration until 10 December 2026 is ₹800 for students and ₹1,000 for independent filmmakers. After that it rises to ₹1,000 and ₹1,500.
What is the last date to submit?
10 January 2027.
How do I register?
Scan the QR code on the poster or use the link in LJIMC's Instagram bio, where the rules are published.
Kenneth Hopkins is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AltBollywood. Indofuturist, posthumanist and unapologetically Indocentric, he describes himself as an epimemeticist, a swaraji, a freakonomist, a lexicographer and a cartochronicler, mapping the ideas, words and quiet shifts that shape Indian entertainment. Follow him on Instagram at @kennethhopkins.
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