Jammu Film Festival 2026 receives 180 global entries from 35 countries ahead of fifth edition

The fifth Jammu Film Festival has received 180 entries from 35 countries ahead of its July 31 deadline. Scheduled for September 28–29, the event features a new three-tier evaluation jury alongside international delegates and cultural programs

Jammu: The fifth edition of the Jammu Film Festival has received an overwhelming response from filmmakers worldwide, with 180 entries from 35 countries submitted ahead of the July 31 deadline, the organisers said on Friday.

The submissions include 130 short films, 35 documentaries and 17 feature films representing diverse cultures, languages and cinematic traditions from across the world, the organisers said, adding more entries are expected before the close of submissions later this month.

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“The milestone 5th edition of the Jammu film festival is scheduled to be held on 28–29 September 2026 in Jammu.

“The festival has received an overwhelming response from filmmakers across the globe. The festival continues its remarkable journey of connecting Jammu with the global film community and has emerged as one of North India’s leading international film festivals,” jury head Kapil Mattoo told reporters here.

Mattoo said the quality, diversity and international spread of the entries reflected the festival’s increasing recognition within the independent film ecosystem.

“The festival has received an overwhelming response from filmmakers across the globe, with 180 film submissions from 35 countries already received well ahead of the submission deadline of 31 July 2026,” he said.

Jointly presented by Vomedh and Koshurwood Studio, the festival is expected to bring together filmmakers, delegates, artists and cinema enthusiasts from India and abroad.

He said delegates from several countries, including the United States, have expressed interest in attending the event, while discussions are underway with performers from Singapore for the festival’s cultural programme.

Festival directors Rakesh Roshan Bhat and Rohit Bhat said the festival was conceived with the vision of creating a cultural institution that would connect Jammu with the world through cinema.

Sanjeev Kak of Koshurwood Studio said the organisation was proud to partner with a festival that has evolved into an important cultural bridge between Jammu and the global filmmaking community.

He said the steady growth of the festival over five editions reflected the commitment of its organisers and the increasing appetite for meaningful cinema and cultural engagement in the region.

Meanwhile, the organising committee announced a three-tier jury system for the 2026 edition to ensure a transparent and merit-based selection process.

The screening committee comprises festival directors Rakesh Roshan Bhat and Rohit Bhat as well as Kamal Razdan, Suman Pandita, Ifra Kak and Manzoor Mir.

The review committee includes Rahul Sharma, Kusum Tickoo, Rani Bhan, J R Sagar, Dr Kuldeep Raina Sudeshi and Shadab Khan.

The final jury will be headed by filmmaker Kapil Mattoo and includes actors Vipin Sharma, Ashwath Bhatt and Tanvir Dar.

The organisers said the first four editions of the festival had witnessed the participation of several noted personalities from the Indian film industry, including M K Raina, Rahul Roy, Yashpal Sharma, Kashmera Shah, Deepika Singh, Ayub Khan, Lalit Parimoo, Mushtaq Kak, Mir Sarwar and Ayaz Khan.