Jammu Film Festival a way to express gratitude to Jammu

Say Kashmiri Pandit brothers who are organizing an international film festival in Jammu

Jammu:"We had lost our homes, identity and roots. Jammu gave us all of that and much more. We are expressing our gratitude to Jammu in a humble way by organising this annual International Film Festival. This Festival will give Jammu the visibility it deserves at international level", says Rakesh Roshan Bhat the Festival Director of Jammu Film Festival.

It is perhaps the first ever international film festival being organised in Jammu and will showcase 37 short films and documentaries from 11 countries over two days from 26 to 27 September at Abhinav theatre. Interestingly, a separate section has been planned for native filmmakers to encourage the local talent. "The idea was to build a platform for the talent from Jammu to have access and exposure to international filmmaking ecosystem. Since we are doing theatre in Jammu from over 10 years now we know for sure that Jammu has got some amazing talent and passion for theatre as well as cinema. Even our tagline is thoughtfully crafted as - Nurturing Creativity Celebrating Cinema", says Rohit Bhat the younger brother of Rakesh who is the co-director of the festival.
Both the brothers have earned respect in theatre over the years with their meaningful plays. Rakesh is the playwright and Rohit is director.
Inspite of the current situation in J&K, the festival will be attended by many celebrities from Bollywood. Kashmira Shah who has featured in blockbuster movies like Hera Pheri, Yes Boss and Pyar to hona hi tha, Ayub Khan, nephew of legendary Dilip Kumar and heartthrob of ninetees, famous model and actor Ayaz Khan, Actor Lalit Parimoo and Producer Kapil Mattoo and Producer Pralhad Taware will be attending the event. Festival Directors of Pune International Film Festival Amol Bhagat and Kashmir World Film Festival Mushtaq Ali will also attend the festival.
Among the key highlights of the festival will be an acting workshop on Abhinay Yog which will be conducted by Lalit Parimoo.
Kapil Mattoo who is also the Director and organizer of India alive film festival will showcase two award winning short films from less fortunate children in a special section.
From amongst the filmmakers whose movies will be screened many are expected to attend including a few from down south. One Film maker from Iran is also expected to attend.
"We have also made a heart warming short film Exodus and Exile - the need with a very powerful message of peace and brotherhood which won best story award in Kalaburagi International film festival recently. We will do the special screening of this movie in the local section", confirmed Rohit
"Jammu Film Festival represents the aspirations of the art and cinema loving people of Jammu to put Jammu on the world map of International film festival circuit. Bollywood has explored the scenic locations as well as the themes around Jammu and Kashmir for a long time. Jammu and Kashmir, also in turn has contributed a great deal to Indian cinema in terms of artists and technicians. However, the focus of this festival is to improve the connect more specifically between Jammu region and cinema. Jammu has tremendous potential in terms of natural beauty and scenic locations to be explored. The hospitality of the people of Jammu region is unparalleled and would be a key catalyst in helping this industry grow. Moreover, Jammu has immense talent to be tapped. Jammu film festival is an attempt to provide a platform to bridge this gap between the industry and the resources available in Jammu. We will leave no stone unturned to set the bar very high in terms of the quality and standard of the event. We are very thankful to people of Jammu for the love and support we have received to organise this event " , said Rakesh Roshan Bhat