Kamaun University in the year 2016 initiates a few unconventional courses; filmmaking is one among them. The film faculty comprises Rajesh Shah, a Mumbai-based cinematographer who has returned to his home in the hills to dedicate his time to teaching, along with his wife, National Film Award-winning docu filmmaker Shalini Shah.

In 2017, the duo along with their first batch of 14 students host a student film festival in association with CEFM–The Hermitage, Kumaun University.

The 2018 edition runs for 10 days in all, includes a 5-day FTII-Pune film appreciation camp, is international and competitive, and features a Film Critics Circle of India citation.

The 2019 edition, in association with the Marchula Festival, happens at the Jim Corbett National Park.

The 2020 edition, given the strange circumstances, would be an entirely online one.

Participants are encouraged to interact with each other and experience unknown cultures, to interact with seniors from the film industry and open avenues for near-future professional endeavours, and to accept invaluable tips and techniques from them gathered through years of real-life filming experience.

The virgin, serene hills and lake of Naintal has long enticed peoples from far lands; distinguished Indian filmmakers and actors too. And street theatre here is almost a natural art. It is hoped, therefore, fondly, that this festival would eventually be able to revive the rich folk heritage of Uttarakhand and turn Naintal into a major centre for the discussion, exhibition, and preservation of world folk practices.