SRINAGAR: Three filmmakers from Jammu and Kashmir have won three of the nine awards presented at the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJK) 2026, marking a significant recognition of the region’s emerging cinematic talent.
Baba Tasaduq Hussain received the Best Cinematography Award for the documentary Naqsh-e-Daur (The Story of Ghulam Nabi Dhar), while Ajit Singh Bhasin won the Best Emerging Filmmaker Award for Askini: The Guiding Darkness.
Filmmaker Kapil Matto’s Tasrufdar – The Jinns of Kashmir was named Best Film in the Jammu and Kashmir Select category.
The awards covered three distinct areas — cinematography, emerging filmmaking and the best film from Jammu and Kashmir — highlighting the range of work being produced by filmmakers from the Union Territory.
Several other JK productions also featured prominently during the festival. Batt Koch (The Lost Lane), directed by Siddarth Koul and Ankit Wali, Tasrufdaar (Djinns of Kashmir), directed by Kapil Mattoo, and Naqsh-e-Daur received appreciation from audiences.
Batt Koch, which was screened as the festival’s closing film, was also appreciated by filmmaker Ramesh Sippy and the audience. Love in Vietnam, a film by JK-based filmmaker Rahat Shah Kazmi, was also screened during the festival and received appreciation.
The inaugural IFFJK brought together filmmakers, artists, technicians, industry professionals and cinema enthusiasts from India and abroad, providing local filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work alongside films from different parts of the country and the world.
The strong performance of JK filmmakers has also brought attention to films exploring the region’s history, folklore, landscapes, contemporary realities and cultural narratives through different cinematic forms.
The festival was organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) and served as a platform for showcasing the creative work of filmmakers from Jammu and Kashmir to national and international audiences.
