Srinagar, Sept 20 (JKNS): Earlier this month, the Government of Jammu & Kashmir organised a film festival, projecting it as the first international film festival of J&K.
While I appreciate any sincere effort to promote cinema, it is important to set the record straight – this was ‘NOT’ the first film festival of Kashmir.
The first-ever international film festival of this magnitude in the Valley was conceived and executed by me in ‘2017’, at a time when no Government department had even envisioned such an initiative and there was not a single functional cinema hall in Kashmir. That pioneering step laid the foundation for what is today the internationally recognised Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF).
Over the years, KWFF has become a credible global platform. In our previous editions, we have received films from USA, Italy, Spain, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, Poland, Turkey, Korea, Nepal, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Bangladesh and many other countries. Films have also come from across India in Bengali, Malayalam, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Dogri, Ladakhi, Kashmiri and English.
We have hosted eminent film personalities including Tabu, Raza Murad, Rajit Kapur, Madhur Bhandarkar, Rahul Mittra, Anjum Rajabali, Jayati Bhatia, Rahul Bhat, Shishir Sharma, Lalit Parimoo, Satish Kaul, Komal Nahata, Premendra Majumdar and others. We are in touch with Gulzar, Hema Malini, Aamir Khan, Subhash Ghai, Bhagyashree, Manoj Bajpayee, Raj Babbar, Saurabh Shukla, Sayaji Shinde, Sanjay Suri, Mukesh Rishi, Rahul Rawail, Deepti Naval and many others for upcoming editions.
KWFF has regularly organised interactions with Bollywood directors and actors, filmmaking workshops and masterclasses to nurture local talent. The festival has received 500+ coverages in national and international print, electronic and digital media.
In addition to successfully organising ‘5’ successful editions of Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF) in Srinagar, I have organised one edition of J&K International Film Festival (JAKIFF) in Pune in June 2022. I have served as Member of the International Jury at Nepal Cultural International Film Festival (NCIFF) 2024, Kathmandu, Nepal. I have also been invited as a special delegate to the prestigious film festivals at Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Sriganganagar (Rajasthan), Delhi, Mumbai and other cities.
It is a matter of public record that for nearly two years, I have been submitting detailed proposals to the Government seeking modest support to strengthen KWFF. Instead of supporting and institutionalising a decade-old, established and globally respected platform, the Government chose to spend substantial taxpayers’ money to launch a parallel festival without institutional memory, without prior experience, and without meaningful engagement with the local film fraternity.
This appears to be an exercise in proving a point rather than promoting culture. It reflects a lack of vision and disregard for the painstaking work done to build a genuine film culture in J&K.
A true international film festival must have a two-fold purpose: to show the world to J&K, and to show J&K to the world, with local filmmakers at its centre. Regrettably, the Government’s recent festival failed on this fundamental count due to inadequate planning, poor coordination and visible exclusion of local artistic talent.
My deep connect with the national and international film fraternity is evident from the fact that for the past two months, I have been continuously contacted by filmmakers from across India and abroad enquiring about submission deadlines of the Government’s festival. They contacted me assuming I am the Festival Director, as no one from the official team was accessible. This itself proves the credibility and recall value that KWFF has earned.
It is worth recalling that in 2017 and 2018, when even the idea of reopening cinema halls was considered unthinkable, I was the only person who publicly stood for cinema.
We, the filmmakers of Kashmir, are keen to create a vibrant atmosphere for the film industry in J&K.
We demand that the elected Chief Minister come forward to strengthen the hands of local filmmakers and festival directors with reasonable financial support. Organising a film festival is exclusively a job of professionals and not of bureaucrats.
Nevertheless, my resolve remains unshaken. I will continue as a ‘crusader’ for the revival of Kashmir’s film industry and will take KWFF to greater heights of credibility, inclusivity and global recognition.
KWFF is not just an event; it is a movement. It is an endeavour to place Kashmir firmly on the global cultural map, built on vision, passion, sacrifice and inclusivity, values that can never be replicated by hurried, superficial exercises. Our biggest achievement has been the involvement of youth.
KWFF will continue to remain a true symbol of Kashmir’s artistic spirit and resilience.
