Srinagar’s Film Festival Leaves Local Creatives Feeling Unseen and Disrespected

SRINAGAR: The first International Film Festival held in Srinagar this week—organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Information and Public Relations—ended on a disappointing and contentious note, drawing sharp criticism from filmmakers, artists, producers, journalists and cultural observers who said the event failed to live up to its ambitious billing.

What had been promoted as a landmark cultural revival for the region instead became a source of frustration and resentment, particularly among Kashmiri artists who felt sidelined at a festival meant to celebrate their own cinematic heritage. “We were disrespected,” said a Kashmiri artist and director, echoing a sentiment that reverberated across the Valley’s creative community. Many local filmmakers and cultural practitioners said they felt deeply disappointed and excluded, pointing out that despite the festival’s stated mission of uplifting regional talent, Kashmiri voices were largely missing from both the programme and the guest lists.

Several prominent Valley artists, directors and tourism stakeholders said they were not respectfully invited to the festival, with some claiming they were “largely ignored” despite decades of contribution to the region’s cultural landscape. Out of more than a hundred films screened, only a handful of Kashmiri or regional-language projects made it to the main programme—a decision critics said contradicted the festival’s promise of showcasing homegrown talent. Many argued that the event had instead become a platform for outsiders, prioritising external participants over the very community it claimed to uplift.

Festival organisers defended the lineup, saying the selections were curated to present a diverse global range of genres and narratives. Yet the sense of alienation among local artists deepened as the festival progressed. A spokesman of the J&K Artistic Fraternity said the issue was not merely about invitations but about a larger disregard for Kashmir’s artistic ecosystem. He noted that crores of rupees of public money were reportedly spent on bringing artists from outside J&K at a time when the region’s own artistic community was going through extremely turbulent and testing times. Many accomplished local artists, he said, who had devoted decades to preserving and promoting J&K’s cultural heritage, appeared to have been overlooked.

The festival’s organisational problems quickly overshadowed everything else. Filmmaker Abhilash Sharma—whose award-winning Swaha has travelled to more than 50 festivals—arrived for a technical check only to find his film abruptly removed from the World Cinema lineup. He said no one informed him, no reason was given, and the promised rescheduled screening was shifted to a venue with unacceptable technical quality. For a film with such a strong track record, he found the treatment bewildering and disheartening.

Many others reported similar failures. Screenings flickered, jittered or stopped mid-projection; subtitles slipped out of frame; and staff repeatedly said they had no information or authority to fix anything. Sharma described the situation as complete mismanagement despite adequate resources.

The problems extended across the programme. A “run check night” meant for technical rehearsals faltered during Mithun Pramanik’s The Scientist Who Runs at Night, even as the hall remained full. Another producer said her small-team film screened to an almost empty room. Attendees also noted that festival leadership was largely invisible, with no clear chain of responsibility.

Industry observers warned that such lapses threaten the festival’s credibility and undermine filmmakers who rely on festivals for visibility and distribution. National Award–winning filmmaker Onir said festivals must be run by people who understand filmmaking and exhibition, adding that these issues were not new and accountability was overdue.

The festival’s shortcomings extended beyond technical failures. Local film and television professionals, who had hoped the festival would provide a platform for Kashmiri talent, expressed anger at being sidelined. Many said they were not invited, consulted or even informed about key events. One filmmaker said the festival was supposed to celebrate cinema in Kashmir but Kashmiris were kept out. Another remarked that they had been working in the industry for decades yet were not even given entry passes, describing the event as one designed to exclude them. A well-known television actor said it was contradictory to speak of reviving cinema in Kashmir while shutting the doors on those who had kept storytelling alive in the Valley.

The exclusion extended to local media as well. Several journalists—including those accredited with the very department organising the festival—were denied access on various pretexts, most commonly “pending police verification.” Reporters said they were surprised to find their names missing from entry lists despite covering government events for years. One senior journalist said this was not about verification but about controlling who gets to report. Another noted that since Jammu and Kashmir was split into two Union Territories in August 2019, police verification had increasingly become a tool to keep certain media voices out of official events. The absence of local media was conspicuous at festival venues, where many events were attended only by government-aligned outlets or invited guests. Press freedom advocates warned that such practices undermine transparency and public trust.

Despite the mounting criticism, festival officials maintained that the event was a success. Secretary Information Muneer-ul-Islam called it a good beginning, acknowledging that it took considerable effort for the Chief Minister to ensure that such a festival was organised in Kashmir and that there was scope for a lot of improvement. Festival director Shreya Singhal said the festival witnessed a rousing response and went on “absolutely well.” Responding to concerns raised by filmmakers, she said she knew such criticism was going to come and that the festival had gotten off to a good beginning with considerable scope for further improvement and engagement as it progressed.

For many in the Valley’s creative community, however, the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) will be remembered less for its films and more for the controversies that overshadowed it. What could have been a turning point for regional cinema instead became a symbol of exclusion, mismanagement and missed opportunity. As the government plans future editions, stakeholders say the lessons are clear: genuine engagement with local artists, transparent access for media and competent organisation are essential if Srinagar is to host a film festival worthy of its name.

For now, the first IFFJK stands as a cautionary tale—an event that promised revival but delivered resentment, leaving the Valley’s creative community feeling unheard, unseen and profoundly disrespected.