Kashmir Set to Host Maiden Koshur International Film Festival

Idrees Bukhtiyar
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09 May 2026

Three-days film festival is scheduled to be held in October: Organizers

Srinagar, May 9: The first edition of the Koshur International Film Festival (KIFF) was announced on Saturday with organisers describing the event as a major step towards promoting Kashmiri cinema and connecting local filmmakers with the global film industry.

The three-day international film festival is scheduled to be held in Srinagar from October 10 to 12, 2026. It is being organised by Koshur Foundation in association with Manzoor Mir’s Academy of Arts.

Veteran theatre and film personality M K Raina, who is the founding mentor and patron-in-chief of KIFF termed the festival a timely cultural initiative for Kashmir and Indian cinema.

He said cinema remains one of the most powerful mediums of human expression and dialogue, and platforms like KIFF are essential for encouraging artistic freedom, cultural understanding and meaningful storytelling.

He said Kashmir has a rich artistic and literary legacy whose stories deserve a wider national and international audience. Raina appreciated the efforts of the organisers in creating an international cinematic platform rooted in Kashmiri culture and expressed hope that KIFF would evolve into a major annual event connecting filmmakers, artists and audiences from across the world.

Highlighting the importance of nurturing local talent, he said young filmmakers in Kashmir possess immense creative potential and such initiatives would provide them visibility, encouragement and opportunities to engage with global cinema.

Manzoor Ahmad Mir, founder and festival director of KIFF, said the festival emerged from a vision to establish a high-quality Kashmiri regional cinema with recognition at both national and international levels.

He said KIFF aims to bridge local creativity with international cinematic expression while giving special emphasis to Kashmiri films, culture, regional storytelling traditions and local filmmakers. Mir also praised Raina’s lifelong contribution to theatre, cinema and literature, saying his mentorship brings credibility and cultural strength to the festival.

Mir further said the festival intends to invite well-known technicians, scriptwriters and editors to help strengthen the technical and creative aspects of regional Kashmiri cinema through capacity-building initiatives.

The organisers announced that film submissions for the festival will open from May 11, 2026. Entries will be accepted online through FilmFreeway, while separate offline submission facilities will also be made available for filmmakers from Jammu and Kashmir to encourage wider participation.

They said there will be no entry fee for submissions. The last date for entries has been fixed as July 31, 2026, while the official selection list will be announced on August 31, 2026.

“Films from India and abroad will be accepted in categories including feature films, Kashmiri films, short films, documentary films and student films,” organisers said.

“Apart from screenings, the festival will feature workshops, discussions, filmmaker interactions, Q&A sessions and networking opportunities aimed at promoting artistic collaboration and cinematic exchange,” they added.