Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan
I have had the honour of organising international film festivals in Kashmir under the banner of Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF) since 2017, receiving films from across the globe and bringing together veteran and popular artists from Bollywood and regional cinema. As Festival Director of the KWFF, I have seen closely how an international festival is planned and executed.
I therefore naturally expected that, when the first International Film Festival of J&K was being organised, my experience might be sought. I would have been more than happy to share it. After all, this was the first festival of such magnitude in J&K, and I genuinely wanted it to succeed. To my surprise, no one approached me.
I had my apprehensions; and sadly, they proved correct. During the festival, I received calls from people I knew who were struggling even to gain entry, as well as visitors from outside J&K seeking guidance. I was repeatedly forced to express my helplessness because there appeared to be no proper mechanism to guide or assist them.
Having also served on international film juries, I know how meticulously such festivals are organised elsewhere. Accreditation, entry, screenings, guest management and audience movement are handled with remarkable precision. Unfortunately, what I witnessed here left me not with pride, but with a deep sense of embarrassment and disappointment.
What hurt me most, however, was the treatment of local artists. As an artist myself, I know that artists do not seek favours; they seek dignity, courtesy and recognition. To see local artists neglected and made to feel like outsiders at an international festival in their own homeland was deeply painful.
My criticism is not born out of personal disappointment or a desire for recognition. It comes from a genuine desire to see J&K’s cultural institutions succeed. The region had experienced professionals who could have contributed to the festival, yet that experience was neither sought nor utilised.
A festival of this magnitude in terms of huge budget should have been an occasion to showcase not only the world to J&K, but J&K to the world. It seems that the government wanted to organise this festival here just to showcase the locations of Kashmir, especially Dal, Gulmarg, SKICC and the landscape around it. The government is not concerned about its people, especially the Artists, Filmmakers and last but not the least the ‘Film Festival Directors’. Local filmmakers and artists should have been at its heart, not treated as an afterthought.
The first Government International Film Festival of J&K was a historic opportunity. Sadly, inadequate planning, poor coordination and the apparent disregard for local artistic talent prevented it from becoming the landmark cultural event it could – and should – have been.
