Kashmir Hosts Inaugural International Film Festival

Key facts

• Kashmir hosted its first-ever four-day international film festival, beginning September 7, 2026, in Srinagar.
• The festival opened with the screening of the Lebanese film 'Dead Dog', directed by Sarah Francis, at the Inox theatre in Srinagar's Shiv Pora area.
• A total of 135 films from 41 countries will be screened at venues including SKICC and Inox in Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Jammu city.
• Around 1,100 entries were received, of which 135 were shortlisted, including more than 60 foreign films.
• Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the festival 'a new chapter in the long-standing relationship between J&K and cinema' and highlighted Kashmir's potential as a global filmmaking destination.
• The festival was inaugurated by Jammu & Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Directorate of Information and Public Relations director Shreya Singhal.
• India leads country-wise participation with 64 films, followed by France with 13 and Iran with eight.
• The jury comprises filmmakers Santosh Sivan, Dorothee Wenner, Keiko Bang, Sriram Raghavan, and Himansu Sekhar Khatua.
• The 'best film' award carries a top prize of ₹25 lakh, while 'best director' and 'best debut film of a director' carry ₹15 lakh each.
• A distinctive feature of the festival is a floating screen on the waters of Dal Lake near SKICC.
• The event is tipped to be the second major event in the valley after the 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting held in Srinagar in 2023.
• All 15 cinema halls in Kashmir had closed down in the wake of militancy over three decades; the first multiplex to reopen was in 2022 after 23 years.
• Hindi films such as 'Junglee' (1961), 'Kashmir ki Kali' (1964), 'Jab Jab Phool Khile', and 'Arzoo' were shot in Kashmir, making it a favourite destination in the 1960s.