2026: In what has been a landmark few weeks for the MET Institute of
Mass Media (MET IMM), students from Mumbai’s leading postgraduate media school have
earned two remarkable international honours: prestigious internships at Cannes Lions 2026
in France, and an award at the Indian International Film Festival (IIFF).
Akshata Hegde and Althea Annie Sequeira, students of MET IMM, represented N H Studioz
at Cannes Lions, embedded within the International film distribution department of a global
film business for their three-month internship. Their work spanned international film sales,
business development meetings with global buyers, client network expansion, and film
branding strategy – substantive responsibilities that went well beyond the typical intern
brief.
Cannes Lions draws professionals from over 90 countries each year. Intern selection is
competitive and merit-driven, with no concessions for age or inexperience. That MET IMM
students not only earned those spots but performed substantive, industry-level work over
three months is a reflection of both individual ability and the rigour of training the institute
delivers.
Adding to the momentum, a student film from MET IMM has won recognition at the Indian
International Film Festival (IIFF). ‘The White House of Circles’, a documentary, explores the
world of Warli painting, one of India’s oldest and most distinctive indigenous art forms,
through a lens that is as much social as it is aesthetic. The IIFF recognition further underlines
MET IMM’s strength in film and entertainment education, and its commitment to
storytelling that goes beyond craft to carry genuine cultural weight.
Dr Priya Menon Nair, MET Institute of Mass Media, said, “We have always believed that
the best education happens when classroom studies are supplemented with real world
experience. The prestigious Cannes internships combined with our IIFF recognition speaks to
the kind of students MET IMM produces: ones who are ready before the industry expects
them to be.”
Pankaj Bhujbal, Hon. Trustee, MET, said: “These recognitions, Cannes Lions and IIFF in the
same season, are a source of immense pride for the entire MET family. Our students
competing with, and holding their own against, the best young talent globally is the clearest
possible validation of what we set out to build. Storytelling, creativity, and professional
excellence have always been at the heart of MET IMM, and our students are now carrying
that to the world’s biggest stages.”
Established in 2005 under the Mumbai Educational Trust, MET IMM is one of India’s leading
postgraduate media institutions, with strong industry relationships spanning Jio Creative
Labs, Zee, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Viacom18, Disney Star, and Netflix, among others. The
institute holds a Diamond rating from the QS I-GAUGE Indian College Rating (2025) and was
named Outstanding Institute for Mass Media Management by the World Education Summit
in 2019.
The achievements reflect MET IMM’s long-standing commitment to producing media
professionals who are equipped to compete and succeed on a global stage.
About MET:
Established in 1989, with a mission to redefine the system of education, Mumbai
Educational Trust (MET) is a professionally managed, multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted
oasis of knowledge. Its premiere educational institutes conduct university accredited and
autonomous courses. Its premiere educational institutes conduct university accredited and
autonomous courses.
At MET thousands of students and faculty are involved in delivering unique learning
systems, through ultra-modern infrastructure and academic rigour. MET Institutes are ISO
certified, with affiliations to the University of Mumbai, Directorate of Technical Education,
All India Council of Technical Education, MSBTE, Pharmacy Council of India, C-DAC – Ministry
of Communications and Information Technology and The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII),
London. MET is a recognised teaching center of awarding body University of London and
also has strategic institutional collaborations with the NCC Education, UK.
There are about 21 institutes housed in state of the art campuses located in Mumbai and
Nashik.
