Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 1: The second edition of Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF) kicked off today at Tagore Hall with the screening of the first Kashmiri feature film ‘Manez Raat’.
Organized by Actors Creative Theatre (ACT), a non-profit organization, the five day film festival that began today will conclude on November 5, 2017. The chief guest on the occasion was Works Minister Naeem Akthar. Besides the Minister, many bollywood celebrities including Rajit Kapur, Muzzamil Ibrahim, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Govind Nihalani, Rahat Kazmi, Talat Rekhi, Anwar Jamal and others were present on the occasion.
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According to the organizers of the event, around twenty five films will be screened in the festival. “Feature fiction films, feature length documentary films, short fiction films, short documentary films, short animation films and experimental films will be screened,” they said.
“There will be different sections of films as well that include international competition, national competition, student/amateurs competition, special screening/retrospective/ special packages (Non-Competition),” said the organizers.
Besides the film festival, a workshop on the topic ‘Introduction to Cinema’ was also held for the media students and cinema lovers in the first half of the day. “Bollywood actors Rajit Kapoor, Muzzamil Ibrahim and others interacted with the students and shared with their experiences of working in film industry,” said an organizer.
Minister for Public Works Naeem Akhtar appreciated the work done by the organizers of the event. “It is huge thing that such a festival is taking place in Kashmir and hope this will continue in future as well,” he said. Director of the Festival Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan said that overwhelming response of the audience gives him courage to hold such events.
Meanwhile, Works Minister Naeem Akhtar said that Government would take an initiative to re-open cinemas in Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters, the Minister said that people of Kashmir have denied cinemas to young generation. “The whole world has cinemas, even Pakistan has cinemas and Saudi Arabia is also opening them now. I do not know why people do not think about opening cinemas here,” he added.
“Every house has a cinema, television is a cinema, you carry a cinema in your pocket as well in the form of mobile phone, and so I do not why we are being stopped from going to cinema halls. The Government will surely take an initiative on this, but the whole society has to come together on this. How much more time will we keep away our children from genuine entertainment,” he said.
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