If you want to heal a patient, you have to correctly diagnose the problem before you can formulate a prescription. If you want to heal a society, things get more complicated, because you need consensus on the scope of the problem and its possible solutions. That’s what makes the work of the School of Media and Cultural Studies at the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) so important.

This Mumbai-based institution works to raise public awareness of major social issues in India, documenting their impact at the grassroots level by using the sophisticated tools of a modern mass-media culture. At its annual Cut.In Student Film Festival, TISS provides a forum for short films that highlight important social concerns in India. The MurthyNAYAK Foundation provided major funding for the 2013 Cut.In Festival, which was held on December 13th and 14th in Mumbai.

Film and media students from all across India submitted nearly 70 entries to this year’s festival, of which 38 were selected for screening. The films reflected the mission of TISS’s School of Media and Cultural Studies, which seeks a just and people-centered society, one that is ecologically sustainable and provides dignity, equality, social justice, and human rights for all.

It’s a mission that resonates with the MurthyNAYAK Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting women’s rights, creating a better future for children, and empowering immigrants. Through the Foundation’s Site2Sight production company, MNF co-founder Vasant Nayak has made several films that call attention to pressing societal concerns in his native India. [See: Site2Sight: Free Media for Nonprofits.]

We are proud to support the fine work of our partners at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and we commend all of the participants for their valuable contributions to this year’s Cut.In Film Festival. A listing of this year’s Cut.In Awards is online, and further information on TISS is available as well.

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