From Filmmakers Coming to Kashmir to Kashmir’s Filmmakers Taking Centre Stage
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Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Photograph: (X | Office of Chief Minister, J&K)
Five films by filmmakers from Jammu and Kashmir have been selected for the competitive J&K Select Section at IFFJK 2026.
For decades, Kashmir has drawn filmmakers with its mountains, lakes, meadows and distinctive cultural landscape, serving as the backdrop for countless stories on the big screen. Now, in a significant shift, the valley is preparing to showcase stories not just shot in Kashmir, but told by filmmakers from Kashmir.
Five films helmed by directors from Jammu and Kashmir have been selected for the J&K Select Section, the competitive category of the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) 2026, being held in the Kashmir Valley.
The selection marks an important moment for the region's emerging film culture, bringing local filmmakers and their stories into the competitive programming of an international film festival.
The five films Searching for the Grandpa, directed by Mohammad Wali; Arifa, directed by Rohin Ravendran Nair; Batt Koch (The Lost Lane), directed by Siddarth Koul and Ankit Wali; Tasrufdaar (Djinns of Kashmir), directed by Kapil Mattoo; and Naqsh-e-Daur (The Story of Ghulam Nabi Dhar), directed by Baba Tassaduq Hussain offer varied perspectives on life, memory, identity and heritage in Jammu and Kashmir.
The films were recommended by the Preview Committee constituted for the festival following a review of submissions and an assessment of their artistic merit and suitability for the competitive section.
What makes the selection particularly notable is the range of stories emerging from the region. Rather than presenting Kashmir simply as a picturesque location, the films turn the camera inward, exploring the experiences, memories and social realities of people who have lived through the region's changing landscape.
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Searching for the Grandpa follows two young siblings in a Kashmiri village on Eid, drawing on themes of childhood, family and memory. Arifa follows a woman returning to her ancestral home in Kashmir, where her return brings back memories of her childhood and her father.
In Batt Koch (The Lost Lane), displacement and identity are explored through the story of a Kashmiri migrant family and its enduring connection with the idea of home. Tasrufdaar (Djinns of Kashmir) takes a more mysterious route, weaving memory and the supernatural into a story shaped by the scars of Kashmir's past.
Meanwhile, Naqsh-e-Daur (The Story of Ghulam Nabi Dhar) turns to the region's artistic heritage, documenting the life and legacy of a Padma Shri-honoured woodcarver from downtown Srinagar and highlighting Kashmir's traditional craftsmanship and resilience.
Together, the films span Kashmiri and Hindi and move across genres and generations, but share a common thread: they place Kashmir's people, memories, traditions and lived experiences at the heart of the narrative.
For years, the cinematic gaze on Kashmir has often come from outside, with filmmakers travelling to the valley to capture its landscapes and use them as settings for stories. The inclusion of these five films in the competitive section of an international festival offers a different kind of cinematic moment: Kashmir's own filmmakers are now bringing their stories to the screen and seeking a place in the wider cinematic conversation.
The films will form part of the competitive programming of the four-day IFFJK, giving audiences and filmmakers an opportunity to engage with distinctive cinematic voices from Jammu and Kashmir.
The festival, therefore, is not only bringing international cinema to the valley; it is also creating a platform for the valley's filmmakers to take their own stories beyond the familiar image of Kashmir as a film location.
