SRINAGAR — For decades, Kashmir served as the location for some of the Bollywood blockbuster movies, but on Monday the valley will step into the global spotlight as it hosts its maiden international film festival.
The four-day International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJ&K), themed “Rang-e-Cinema” (colours of cinema), is set to begin on Monday with all the preparations in place.
The festival will broadly be held at Srinagar,“ the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, with the winter capital Jammu, the famous ski resort of Gulmarg and the city’s lone multiplex, Inox, also acting as venues.
Organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations, the festival lineup features a curated international and regional screening program, spotlighting compelling local cinema alongside global selections.
Among the unique experiences anchoring the event is the floating cinema with screenings set directly against Kashmir’s world-famous Dal Lake creating an open-air, aquatic visual experience.
Officials said the floating cinema will add a distinctive visual and experiential dimension to the festival with a floating screen installed on the waters of Dal Lake near SKICC to enrich the experience as audiences seated on shikaras will be able to watch films against the backdrop of lake.
Director Information & Public Relations, J&K, Shreya Singhal, said the initiative is expected to provide an iconic setting for film screenings while showcasing the unique cultural and natural landscape of J&K to visiting filmmakers, artists and delegates from across India and abroad.
She said the festival seeks to revive J&K’s cinematic legacy and emerge as a destination for filmmaking and cultural exchange, as it brings 135 films from over 40 countries.
Around 1,100 films from 92 countries were received for the festival, but the preview committee selected 135 films for screening.
“The inaugural edition will showcase an expansive lineup of 135 films representing 41 countries, bringing together diverse cinematic traditions, storytelling formats and creative voices from across the world,” the Director Information & Public Relations said in a statement.
She said India leads the country-wise participation with 64 films, followed by France with 13 and Iran with 8. Argentina and Spain will contribute four films each, while Brazil, Germany, the Russian Federation and the United States will have three films each.
A further group of countries, including South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Qatar, Colombia and Turkey, among others, will each contribute curated films, giving the festival a distinctly global character, Singhal said.
The Best Film award carries the top prize of Rs 25 lakh, while Best Director and Best Debut Film of a Director will carry Rs 15 lakh each.
Reflecting the festival’s special focus on the region, the Best Film ‘“ J&K Select category carries a prize of Rs 10 lakh.
The performance categories of Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) carry Rs 8 lakh each, while the technical categories of Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design and Best Editing carry Rs 5 lakh each.
The award structure, Singhal said, has been designed to celebrate artistic excellence as well as the diverse creative and technical dimensions of filmmaking.
The festival also includes masterclasses, workshops, in-conversation sessions, panel discussions, roundtables and cultural performances.
The Director Information said the festival’s masterclass programme, which will provide aspiring filmmakers, students and cinema enthusiasts an opportunity to engage directly with leading professionals from the industry.
The three-day master class series will feature Film Director and Screenwriter Sriram Raghavan, celebrated editor Namrata Rao, Veteran sound designer Baylon Fonseca in addition to Chittranjan Tripathi from NSD, Supriyo Sen (IDPA), Anil Mehta and several others from the film industry.
The festival will kick-start with a ceremonial opening at the Inox multiplex here where a Lebanese film titled ‘Dead Dog’, directed by Sarah Francis, will be screened.
The floating Cinema will screen Bollywood films, shot extensively in Kashmir, including “Junglee”, “Arzoo”, “Kashmir Ki Kali”, and “Kabhi Kabhie”, among others.
A five-member international jury comprising distinguished personalities from the world of cinema, including internationally acclaimed filmmakers, cinematographers, sound artists and film curators, will evaluate the entries.
The jury, headed by acclaimed cinematographer-director Santosh Sivan, includes Oscar and BAFTA-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, German film curator Dorothee Wenner, media entrepreneur Keiko Bang and National Award-winning filmmaker Himansu Sekhar Khatua.
The diverse international film selection, substantial prize purse, leading industry master classes, participation of eminent personalities and unique cultural programming, IFFJK 2026 is set to provide Jammu and Kashmir with a new global platform for cinema, creativity tourism promotion and cultural exchange as envisaged as the outcomes of this festival of international repute. — (PTI)