00:00First of all, welcome to the Agnes.
00:02First of all, first time you have international film festival in Jammu Kashmir.
00:06So ma'am, this film festival is the importance of how we talk about the region.
00:11So first of all, this is how it is.
00:13Thank you for having me here.
00:16First time in Jammu Kashmir International Film Festival, from 7th to 10th September.
00:21And the idea of this film festival is that the legacy of Jammu Kashmir,
00:24which is attached to Bollywood and various film industries,
00:29which is the attachment to the forefront and the stage.
00:33The local artists are here who provide an exposure platform
00:37so that they can get their talent,
00:40an international exposure, including India and international people.
00:45They should come to Jammu and Kashmir and they should experience the kind of talent we have here
00:50and the kind of filmmaking that is done here in all the aspects.
00:54So if you look at that, if you look at that,
00:57it is a very important festival, both for Jammu and Kashmir and for the cinema as a whole.
01:03And then how many filmmakers are expected to take part in this festival?
01:07Look, when we started the submissions,
01:11I am very happy to inform that we have more than 90 countries,
01:141100 entries in our film submissions,
01:18which is a very big thing for the first festival.
01:21In those submissions,
01:22our committees screened 135 films and they will be screened at our festival.
01:31These 135 films are belonging from more than 40 countries including India
01:36and including our local artists and Jammu and Kashmir select section.
01:40So all in all, we are expecting a guest list of more than 300.
01:43There will be Nassif actors, directors, producers, cinematographers.
01:48There will be a local talent that will be associated with the technical industry with filmmaking.
01:55There will be writers, we will have camera persons,
01:59we will have all kinds of people who are associated with the film industry.
02:03So that is our expectation.
02:04I am connecting to this.
02:06What kind of films or cinematic work will be showcased?
02:10In our festival, there are many categories.
02:14Competition category, non-competitive category, feature film category, documentary category.
02:18All those terms that our filmmakers are very well aware of.
02:22So in our festival, there are total seven categories.
02:24There are competitive categories and non-competitive categories.
02:27In that, there is our international category.
02:31Cinema of the World, Bharat Pe Naurnawa, Jammu and Kashmir Select,
02:37Documentary, Hybrid Documentary.
02:39From all these categories, we are expecting movies and we are expecting filmmakers and artists.
02:44Will this film festival serve as the bigger opportunity for the local artists of Jammu and Kashmir?
02:50As I said before, our idea is that this film festival gives a platform,
02:55especially to the local artists, to the local producers, not just artists,
02:58also to the producers and filmmakers to come forth, present their ideas to the world in front of them
03:04and then be a part of this film, be a part of the entire film industry.
03:10This will also serve as a growth for the industry.
03:13Definitely. I think when there is any festival, for example,
03:16the entire department is working since past two months to get the best of the talent in the industry here,
03:23to bring them here, to give them an experience of what Jammu Kashmir feels for a filmmaker,
03:29how the people of Jammu Kashmir, how much talented they are.
03:32So, it is very obvious that it will be a very good platform for them.
03:39Will there also be some sort of masterclasses and trainings for,
03:44we can say they are budding the artists of Kashmir Valley, so as to the national level?
03:48Yes. Actually, in all film festivals, there is a very important component that we have seen.
03:55Masterclasses, in-panel discussions, in-conversations,
03:59in-conversations where the industry top experts are in all fields,
04:02they sit and demonstrate sometimes their work, sometimes they tell about their experience,
04:08so that the younger audience, they feel more connected to them.
04:12So, on the same pattern, we have kept, I think, twelve to fifteen sessions of masterclasses,
04:17each headed by a very very distinguished panel in their field,
04:20which will be in SKICC, in the inside halls of SKICC.
04:26When we talk about the film festival, it is not about the hero and heroine,
04:29it is about the technicians, the spotlight, the make-up artists as well.
04:34So, this will eventually serve as an opportunity for those who want to be,
04:38the part of the industry, from this, you know, we can see that backstone.
04:42Yes, I think, a very important aspect is that, as a layman,
04:47we can only see the cast on the screen, but behind the cast,
04:51a very retina of officials have worked for a very very long time,
04:56which you have mentioned.
04:58The idea is that those who come to Jammu Kashmir,
05:01they should get all these local talent in terms of technical,
05:05they should get them from here.
05:07So, the idea is to encourage them, to connect them to the right person,
05:11so that they also get very meaningful employment when somebody comes to shoot here.
05:15This will also serve as the big opportunity for the tourism industry.
05:18Yes, definitely. I think tourism, Jammu Kashmir tourism is one of our main partner,
05:24both in terms of publicity and in terms of organizing this festival.
05:36And when we are able to bring more movies here to Jammu Kashmir,
05:42it will definitely serve a very good exposure for Jammu Kashmir tourism to the audiences worldwide.
05:47Since past some years, I have also seen, because I have come from the masculinity department,
05:53I have seen that there is a lot of enthusiasm on the girls to be the part of the line
05:58production as well.
06:00So, eventually this will serve as an opportunity for them as well.
06:04This is the idea of our film festival.
06:08Sometimes the talent is in our remote areas.
06:12Jammu Kashmir will stay in many remote areas.
06:15So, if they come, if they attend this festival,
06:17they are getting to look at how the big picture is looking.
06:20They will get to interact with a lot of people.
06:23They will get to hear their experiences.
06:24As we see, all of them have a struggle story.
06:30All of them have risen above that struggle story to do well for themselves.
06:34So, I think this is an inspirational event.
06:39I would like to invite all the students and all the film enthusiasts
06:44who are watching today or are not watching today,
06:47but they are interested in filmmaking as a whole to come and attend this film festival,
06:51not just for the sake of that it is another festival that is being done,
06:56but for their own sake,
06:59that they come and experience the whole festival.
07:02What is it and how it is,
07:04what do they think about themselves.
07:06I would request all of them to come here and participate in large numbers
07:11and make the best use of this film festival.
07:14Thank you so much.
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