Bilal Bashir Bhat
Onlykashmir.in
The curtain may have fallen on the first International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK), but the festival has left behind more than films, screenings and celebrity appearances. It has also highlighted the importance of professional administration, coordinated communication and teamwork, particularly the role played by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) in ensuring the smooth conduct of the four-day event.
Held from September 7 to 10 across Srinagar, Jammu and Gulmarg, the festival brought together filmmakers, artists, experts, delegates and media professionals from within and outside Jammu & Kashmir. With hundreds of participants and programmes spread across multiple locations, the event presented a considerable logistical and coordination challenge.
At the centre of this effort was DIPR Director Shreya Singhal, who served as Festival Director. Her leadership and emphasis on advance planning, inter-departmental coordination, media management and continuous monitoring provided the administrative framework necessary for the festival to run smoothly.
What deserves particular appreciation is that DIPR did not treat IFFJK merely as another government event. The department used the festival as an opportunity to showcase Jammu & Kashmir’s culture, hospitality, creative talent and cinematic potential to visitors from across the country and abroad.
Teamwork behind the spotlight
Large international events rarely succeed because of one individual. Their success is built through the coordinated efforts of dozens of people working largely away from the spotlight. The same was evident during IFFJK.
The active role of Joint Director Information Kashmir Syed Shehnawaz Bukhari was particularly visible in media coordination and outreach. His messaging around reviving Jammu & Kashmir’s historic relationship with Bollywood and positioning the region as an attractive destination for filmmakers added a wider vision to the festival.
The contribution of field and media personnel was equally important. Field Publicity Officer Kashmir Shabir Ahmad Bhat, along with other information officers and field staff, remained engaged in programme coverage, media facilitation, information dissemination and coordination at different venues.
Officials including Dr. Zahoor Ahmad Raina, Javed Ahmad Rather, Rafiq Ahmad, Zubair Ahmad and other DIPR officers and employees also contributed to different aspects of the festival’s preparations and execution.
Their collective effort demonstrated that behind every successful public event is an administrative team that must anticipate problems, coordinate multiple stakeholders and respond quickly when circumstances change.
More than a film festival
IFFJK was significant not simply because it was the first edition, but because it attempted to change the way Jammu & Kashmir is presented to the outside world.
The festival offered an opportunity to project the region not merely as a picturesque filming location, but as a place of stories, culture, hospitality, artistic expression and creative possibilities.
For a region seeking to expand its film ecosystem and attract filmmakers, such an initiative can have a much wider impact. Film festivals can create bridges between local talent and the national and international film industry while simultaneously strengthening cultural and film tourism.
In that larger narrative, DIPR’s role was important. Its responsibility went beyond issuing press releases or arranging media coverage; it helped create an information and communication environment in which the festival could be experienced and understood by a wider audience.
Credit where it is due
The first IFFJK will naturally be judged by the quality of its films, participation and future impact. But its organisational success also deserves recognition.
DIPR merits appreciation for the professionalism, coordination and teamwork displayed throughout the festival. From the leadership of Shreya Singhal to the active involvement of senior officers, media personnel and field staff, the department demonstrated how a coordinated government communication machinery can contribute to the success of a major international event.
The real achievement is that much of this work remained behind the scenes, exactly where efficient event management is supposed to be.
The first edition has set a foundation. The real opportunity now is to build upon it. If IFFJK is expanded in the coming years, with greater participation of international filmmakers, stronger opportunities for local creators and deeper industry linkages, Jammu & Kashmir could emerge as an important destination for filmmaking, film tourism and creative industries.
The screen may have gone dark for now, but the larger story has only begun.
And for DIPR, the first chapter deserves a word that is sometimes overlooked in public administration: well done.
The Writer of this feature Bilal Bashir Bhat is the editor of a prominent local Urdu daily Srinagar Jang
The writer of this feature, Bilal Bashir Bhat, is the editor of the prominent local Urdu daily, Srinagar Jang.
