Bilal veri cniSrinagar,(CNI NEWS): Founder-Director of the Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF), Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan, has questioned the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s decision to organise a separate international film festival earlier this month, arguing that public funds could instead have been used to strengthen an already
established film festival platform in the Valley.In a statement, Khan said that while government efforts to promote cinema were welcome, the recent festival should not be described as the first international film festival of Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed that the first international film festival of significant scale in the Valley was conceived and organised by him in 2017, at a time when there were no functional cinema halls in Kashmir.According to Khan, the initiative subsequently developed into the Kashmir World Film Festival, which he described as an established platform with participation from filmmakers and films from several countries
.He said previous editions of KWFF had received entries from countries including the United States, Italy, Spain, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, Poland, Turkey, South Korea, Nepal, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Bangladesh, besides films from different parts of India in languages including Bengali, Malayalam, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Dogri, Ladakhi, Kashmiri and English.Khan also highlighted the participation of several film personalities in KWFF, including Tabu, Raza
Murad, Rajit Kapur, Madhur Bhandarkar, Rahul Mittra, Anjum Rajabali, Jayati Bhatia, Rahul Bhat, Shishir Sharma, Lalit Parimoo and Satish Kaul, among others.He said KWFF had also organised filmmaking workshops, masterclasses and interactions with filmmakers and actors to provide opportunities to local talent. He claimed that the festival had received more than 500 media coverages in national and international print, electronic and digital outlets.Khan further said that he had organised five editions of KWFF in Srinagar and one edition of the J&K
International Film Festival in Pune in June 2022. He also cited his participation as a member of the international jury at the Nepal Cultural International Film Festival in Kathmandu in 2024.The KWFF founder alleged that he had been submitting proposals to the J&K Government for nearly two years seeking financial support to strengthen the festival. He questioned the decision to establish what he termed a “parallel festival”, instead of supporting an existing platform with years of experience and international outreach.
Khan also alleged that the government-organised festival lacked adequate engagement with the local film fraternity and said local artistic talent should have been placed at the centre of any international film festival in J&K.He argued that an international film festival should serve a two-way cultural purpose—bringing international cinema to J&K while taking the region’s own filmmakers and stories to a wider global audience.
Khan said he had also been approached by filmmakers from India and abroad seeking information about submissions to the government festival, claiming that some contacted him assuming he was associated with its organisation.He recalled his efforts in 2017 and 2018 to advocate for cinema and the revival of cinema halls in Kashmir, saying he remained committed to developing the region’s film ecosystem.Calling for greater financial and institutional support for local filmmakers and festival organisers, Khan said professional film festivals should be organised with the involvement of experienced professionals rather than being handled primarily through bureaucratic mechanisms.
He said his resolve to promote Kashmir’s film industry remained unchanged and that KWFF would continue its efforts to provide a platform for local and international filmmakers.“KWFF is not just an event; it is a movement,” Khan said, asserting that the festival’s focus would remain on youth participation, inclusivity and placing Kashmir on the global cultural map. CNI NEWS