135 Films, 40 Countries: J&K hosts first international film festival From today

The Jammu and Kashmir government is hosting a first of its kind four-day international film festival in Srinagar from Monday, during which around 135 local, national and international films will be screened and participants from several countries are expected to attend.

Preparations for the inaugural IFFJK-2026 themed ‘Rang-e-Cinema’ (colours of cinema), will be hosted at SKICC in Srinagar while some programmes will be held in Jammu, the famous ski resort of Gulmarg and Srinagar’s only multiplex, Inox. Around 135 films from 40 countries will be featured at the festival and prominent names from Bollywood are expected to be present. Officials informed that Ramesh Sippy of Sholay fame, famous singer Palak Muchal and Pankaj Tripathi would be among the guests. International film makers are expected from Spain, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Jordan, France and Canada.

The festival is organised by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the J&K government. Officials hoped that the festival would once again promote Kashmir as a ‘film destination’ and it would now be a calendar event every year.


“Our guests have started arriving... We feel that this event should feature local cultural themes, including flowers and their natural beauty as part of our decoration. We are expecting more than 300 guests from around the country and around the world so they can experience what J&K is all about. We are trying to ensure all our venues act as showcases for our culture,” said Shreya Singhal, director of DIPR.

The Department of Floriculture and Department of culture is also helping the DIPR. “Our cultural teams are deputed at key venues, airports, and railway stations so guests get an authentic feel of Jammu & Kashmir...” she said.

Besides films, the festival will include panel discussions, masterclasses and conversations about films and film making

“This would once again bring Kashmir on the film destination map. We are hopeful that a combination of tourism and cinema would create an opportunity for this region,” said Singhal. She said this opportunity would open doors for regional stakeholders to create a “self-sustaining ecosystem” for local filmmakers, artists and technicians.

“Our effort is to reassert our connection with Bollywood and films. This is a well intentioned effort of the government to promote film tourism,” said Shahnawaz Bukhari, joint director DIPR.

Earlier, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone Sujit Kumar chaired a security review meeting for the festival. The meeting focused on strengthening security arrangements and ensuring preparedness for the secure conduct of the festival.