Delegation urges transparency in public spending, support for Kashmir World Film Festival and revival of DD Srinagar, DD Kashir productions
Srinagar, October 16: The Kashmir Film & Television Artists Association (KFTA) has sought the intervention of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader and Dooru MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir over alleged irregularities in the organisation of a recent film festival and the continuing decline in commissioning and production activities at Doordarshan Srinagar and DD Kashir.
A KFTA delegation, led by Chairman Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan and comprising Zameer Ashai, Shahid Lateef, Afnan Ashai and others, met Mir on Friday and submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting what it described as two major concerns affecting Jammu and Kashmir’s cultural and artistic fraternity.
On the film festival issue, the delegation questioned the projection of the recent government-supported event as J&K’s first-ever international film festival, arguing that the claim overlooked the contribution of earlier initiatives by local film professionals.
Khan said KFTA pioneered an international film festival initiative in Kashmir in 2017, at a time when no cinema hall was operational in the Valley. The initiative subsequently developed into the Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF), with five editions held in Srinagar. The association also organised the J&K International Film Festival (JAKIFF) in Pune in 2022.
According to KFTA, KWFF has attracted entries from more than 20 countries, including the United States, Italy, Spain, Iran, Turkey, South Korea, Bangladesh and Nepal, besides films from across India in 13 languages. The festival has also hosted prominent personalities from the film industry and received extensive national and international media coverage.
The delegation expressed concern that a parallel festival had been organised at considerable public expense without adequate involvement of local filmmakers and experienced professionals. It sought a clarification on the expenditure incurred, a policy framework to support credible private cultural initiatives such as KWFF, and greater participation of local filmmakers in planning and conducting future events.
The delegation also raised concerns over the declining production activities at Doordarshan Srinagar and DD Kashir, stating that reduced commissioning and in-house production had adversely affected the livelihoods of hundreds of artists, writers, directors, producers and technicians.
KFTA called for the immediate revival of regular commissioning, an annual calendar for J&K-specific programmes and the restoration of both stations as vibrant platforms for the region’s cultural expression.
It also demanded the release of pending payments allegedly due to artists and other television professionals for more than 15 years, saying the prolonged delays had caused severe financial hardship to members of the creative fraternity.
Mir gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured its members that he would take up the issues at the appropriate forums.
