The first Chitra Bharati Film Festival (CBFF) was organized from 26th to 28th February 2016 at the Takshashila Campus of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore (Madhya Pradesh). In spite of having a short span of time for preparation, CBFF was able to mark its presence across the nation with receiving as many as 309 entries from eight states. The entries comprised of Documentaries, Animation Films and Short Films from both mature & amateur filmmakers.
Before the festival, one day Film Appreciation Course was held during January and February at five different cities which include Indore, Bhopal, Raipur, Gwalior & Jabalpur. Eminent speakers and film personalities like Rajpal Yadav were resource persons for these courses.
The then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, had inaugurated the festival while the then Minister for Urban Development (MP), Shri Kailash Vijayvergiya, was the chief guest of closing ceremony. Film personalities including Madhur Bhandarkar, Rahul Rawail, Vivek Agnihotri, Manoj Joshi, Mukesh Tiwari, Sudipto Sen etc. were the guests of honour. They had also participated in the “Open Forum” held in the afternoon every day along with the budding young directors. The large enthusiastic crowed kept the auditoriums and the forums bustling with energy.