SRINAGAR: Filmmakers from Jammu and Kashmir made a strong impression at the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) 2026, securing three of the nine awards presented at the festival and highlighting the growing creative strength of the region’s film industry.
The awards marked a significant achievement for local cinema at a festival that brought together filmmakers, artists, technicians and cinema enthusiasts from across India and abroad.
Documentary filmmaker Baba Tasaduq Hussain won the Best Cinematography Award for Naqsh-e-Daur (The Story of Ghulam Nabi Dhar), with the film earning praise for its visual storytelling and cinematic treatment.
The Best Emerging Filmmaker Award went to Ajit Singh Bhasin for Askini: The Guiding Darkness, recognised for its distinctive narrative style and promising creative vision.
Adding to the region’s success, Kapil Matto’s Tasrufdar – The Jinns of Kashmir won the Best Film in the Jammu & Kashmir Select Category, drawing appreciation for its exploration of local folklore and cultural narratives.
Apart from the award-winning films, several other productions from Jammu and Kashmir received a positive response during the festival. Batt Koch (The Lost Lane), directed by Siddarth Koul and Ankit Wali, was screened as the festival’s closing film and was widely appreciated by audiences and noted filmmaker Ramesh Sippy. Love in Vietnam, directed by J&K-based filmmaker Rahat Shah Kazmi, was also screened and received encouraging feedback.
The success of local filmmakers at the maiden edition of IFFJK is being seen as a significant milestone for the region’s evolving film culture. The festival provided filmmakers from Jammu and Kashmir an international platform to showcase stories rooted in the region’s history, culture, folklore and contemporary realities.
The recognition is expected to encourage more young filmmakers from the Union Territory to pursue storytelling through cinema and explore diverse themes connected to Jammu and Kashmir’s unique identity.
Organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), the first edition of IFFJK not only celebrated global cinema but also emerged as an important platform for projecting the creative voices of Jammu and Kashmir before national and international audiences.
