J&K must move beyond scenic backdrop to become creative hub: Omar as first Intl Film Fest in J&K ends

SRINAGAR: The first-ever International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJK) drew to a close in Srinagar on Thursday evening with

SRINAGAR: The first-ever International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJK) drew to a close in Srinagar on Thursday evening with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah calling for Jammu and Kashmir to move beyond its image as a scenic filming destination and emerge as a creative hub where stories are born, talent is discovered and films are conceived and created.

“J&K must increasingly become a place from which stories emerge, talent is discovered, and films are conceived and created. One theme that has come through strongly in J&K has far more to offer cinema than landscapes. Our stories live in our cities, towns, and villages, in our languages, literature, music, crafts, history, and everyday lives,” Omar said while addressing the closing ceremony of first-ever IFFJK at SKICC, here.

The four-day festival, organised by the J&K Department of Information and Public Relations from September 7 to 10, was held across Srinagar, Gulmarg and Jammu. It brought together filmmakers, actors, technicians, artists, industry professionals and cinema enthusiasts from India and abroad. A total of 135 films, including 60 foreign productions, were screened.

The closing ceremony featured a power-packed performance by veteran singer Usha Uthup, who enthralled the audience with her distinctive voice and energetic stage presence.

According to Omar, the inaugural festival had demonstrated that the idea of creating an international platform for cinema in J&K had “found both an audience and a purpose”. He said its real success should not be measured merely by the number of films screened or personalities who attended, but by the connections and opportunities created.“

A young writer meeting a director, an aspiring filmmaker learning from a professional, or two people meeting here who may one day make a film together represented the deeper value of the festival,” he said.

Recalling J&K’s long association with cinema, Omar said the festival had revived iconic cinematic memories through screenings of films including Junglee, Arzoo, Kashmir Ki Kali and Kabhi Kabhie against the backdrop of Dal Lake. The floating cinema emerged as one of the festival’s unique attractions, drawing families, visitors and film enthusiasts to the lakefront.

Audiences watched films against the landscapes that had inspired filmmakers for generations.“For decades, Kashmir travelled to audiences through the cinema screen. This week, in a sense, the screen came back to Kashmir,” Omar said, describing the floating cinema as one of the defining memories of the festival.

However, he cautioned that nostalgia could not define the future of J&K’s film sector. “Our ambition must go beyond being a beautiful filming location,” he said, stressing that while J&K’s mountains and lakes could bring filmmakers to the region once, its stories, people and professional filmmaking environment should bring them back.

Omar highlighted the encouraging participation of youth and urged aspiring filmmakers to learn the craft, experiment and tell stories rooted in their neighbourhoods, villages, families and generation.He also underlined cinema’s economic potential, saying filmmaking could support professionals, artists, craftspeople, local services and businesses.

Films shot in J&K, he said, should leave behind not only memorable images but also skills, employment and stronger local capabilities. He invited visiting filmmakers, actors and delegates to return to J&K to shoot, write, teach and collaborate.

The CM expressed hope that filmmakers from J&K would, years from now, showcase stories at festivals across the world that had first received encouragement or opportunities at IFFJK. “If that happens, we may look back on these four days as the moment when something enduring began,” he said.

Earlier, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said J&K had the potential to once again emerge as a preferred destination for filmmakers from India and abroad.

He said the festival reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of encouraging filmmakers to shoot and create films in Kashmir.

Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Chanchal Kumar said J&K’s landscapes, literature, music and traditions offered significant potential to position the UT as a destination for filmmakers and a hub for creative enterprises. He encouraged young people from Kashmir to explore opportunities at the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies in Mumbai and stressed the need to take such opportunities closer to youth through outreach, workshops and guidance.

The festival featured International Competition, Best Debut Director, Jammu & Kashmir Select, Bharat Panorama, Cinema of the World, Documentary/Hybrid and Short Films, besides masterclasses, panel discussions, in-conversation sessions, special screenings and retrospectives.

The festival opened on September 7 with Lebanese film “Dead Dog” and concluded today with Simsim, directed by Sondos Al-Smerat of Jordan.The Bollywood and international filmmakers were impressed by Kashmir's scenic landscape and improved security situation.