The International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJK), to be inaugurated today, is being seen as an opportunity to expose local filmmakers and creative professionals to the wider film industry and create new avenues for investment and employment in the region.  

 

The four-day festival will screen 135 films from 40 countries, providing local filmmakers, artists and technicians an opportunity to engage with diverse forms of international cinema and industry practices.  

 

Award-winning Kashmiri filmmaker Arif Bashir said the festival would provide an opportunity to local filmmakers to watch international films, interact with filmmakers and attend master-classes, helping them understand the process of filmmaking and the ecosystem required to produce films.

 

Senior business journalist Hakeem Irfan said the festival could bring producers, distributors and financiers to J&K, helping attract investment and strengthen production infrastructure. He stressed the need to develop permanent infrastructure for a sustainable film industry. 

 

Film enthusiast Suhail Ahmad said the festival would expose local filmmakers, artists, writers and technicians to national and international filmmaking practices and help hone their creative skills.

 

He said it could also encourage youngsters to take up filmmaking and create new employment avenues.