Festival Screenings Across Srinagar
Idrees Bukhtiyar
Srinagar, May 13: The organisers of the International Film Festival of Kashmir (IFFK) have announced a historic celebratory edition of the festival, scheduled to be held in Srinagar over five days in July 2026, marking two decades since its inception in 2006.
The upcoming edition is expected to be one of the biggest cinematic and cultural events hosted in Kashmir, bringing together filmmakers, artists, critics, scholars, and cinema enthusiasts from across the globe.
Founded in 2006, the International Film Festival of Kashmir has emerged as a prominent independent film platform in the region, earning recognition on the international festival circuit for promoting meaningful cinema, artistic freedom, and cross-cultural dialogue.
Organisers said the 2026 edition will commemorate the festival’s 20-year journey and celebrate Kashmir’s growing identity as a hub for global cinematic engagement.
The festival is being organised by Hot Ice Films in association with Seven 2 Creations and will be led by noted film producer Mrs Yaqut Mushtaq, who has previously directed all five editions of the festival.
In a statement issued here, the organisers recalled that the 2014 edition had received over 1,000 film submissions from more than 70 countries and screened 44 films in Srinagar, including over 10 world premieres – a record achievement for any film festival held in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the organisers, screenings and festival activities will be held throughout July 2026 across Srinagar, transforming the city into a centre of cinema, culture, and artistic exchange.
Besides film screenings, the festival will feature panel discussions, filmmaker interactions, workshops, cultural evenings, and networking sessions involving personalities from the film industry.
The organisers reiterated that the festival believes cinema is a universal language capable of transcending borders and fostering dialogue between communities.
Meanwhile, the festival has opened its pre-selection stage and invited submissions from filmmakers worldwide. Feature films, short films, documentaries, and student films produced after March 1, 2024, are eligible for submission.
The last date for pre-selection entries is June 15, 2026, while representatives of officially selected films will be informed by June 30, 2026.
Films can be submitted under categories including feature fiction, short fiction, feature documentary, short documentary, and student films.
Organisers said films not produced in Kashmiri, Dogri, Pahari, Hindi, Urdu, or English must carry English subtitles.
Applicants have been asked to submit an online festival screener, filmmaker biography and synopsis, director photographs, and publicity material during the pre-selection process.
The organisers maintained that the selection of films will remain at the sole discretion of the festival panel and reaffirmed their commitment to promoting cinema with artistic and social relevance.
Over the years, the International Film Festival of Kashmir has evolved into a significant cultural platform supporting independent voices and artistic dialogue in the region.
For submissions and festival-related information, filmmakers can contact festival programmer Elizabeth Ike through email at Iffk2024@gmail.com.