Rang-e-Cinema: The new celluloid brand in cinema
The first international film festival in Srinagar has done more than bring films and filmmakers to Kashmir. Rang-e-Cinema has opened a new conversation on the Valley’s cinematic identity, positioning filmmaking, tourism, technology and the creative economy as interconnected engines of cultural and economic renewal
The curation of a new film festival always creates a positive buzz as it is instantaneous, looks vibrant, ideates new insights and institutionalises new curative thoughts. The recently concluded Rang-e-Kashmir is one example of innovation, excellence and scaling new frontiers in the celluloid space.
Film festivals today function as living ecosystems: nurturing voices, encouraging risk-taking and building transnational communities. Their role in shaping public perception, fostering policy discourse and enabling commercial success is more relevant than ever. The new festival circuit is breaking boundaries with purpose. It is showcasing new cinematic languages, driven by talent, diversity and digital disruption. The unified objective is clear: visualise the future of cinema through the lens of commercial viability, cutting-edge technology and artistic innovation. And festivals, in balancing these objectives, are becoming incubators of excellence, where ideas are born, refined and launched into the world.
Today, film festivals have evolved into sophisticated arenas that redefine cinematic expression. They are reshaping the celluloid experience through experiential storytelling, sustainable creative roadmaps and tech-enabled narratives that resonate across boundaries. Their evolution reflects a collective aspiration to reimagine the medium, not just in how films are made, but in how they are shared, discussed and remembered.
It is in this context that the first international film festival held in Srinagar under the theme “Rang-e-Cinema” becomes extremely important. By organising this festival, a message has gone across the cinematic ecosystem of a fresh initiative, design and insight into creating a niche presence in the film festival ecosystem.
The four-day festival certainly brings about a paradigm shift in the character, design and interconnectivity of hosting a film festival. “Rang-e-Cinema” boldly attempts to widen the ambit of a traditional film festival. It has ushered in a new brand idea for Kashmir as a filming destination, converged a new set of stakeholders and created a unique dhun of creativity, collaboration and participation for cinephiles and verticals under the ambit of a creator’s economy.
The festival has truly regained the lost pristine glory of “Kashmir” within the celluloid landscape. As a platform, the festival has uniquely woven the idea of “Create, Shoot & Connect Cinema within Kashmir”. With more than 135 films screened and with 40 countries participating, the festival has reframed and reoriented Kashmir’s outreach to filmmaking.
There is no denying the fact that, in the late 1960s, filmmakers flocked to the state to capture its locales, legacy and the romantic spirit that combined effectively with the storytelling moods of those times. The state was uniquely called “India’s Switzerland”, a brand that surely survived the test of time. Each film demonstrated the emotions and romantic spectacle associated with music, lyrics and the mesmerising songs which still haunt us today.
“Rang-e-Cinema” has reconfigured a lost identity, a search for regaining the glory of the past. It has truly brought centre stage a new cinematic brand and identity for filmmaking within the state. It has acted as a catalyst for prospective filmmakers in their search for new possibilities, storyboards, narration and a new, bold cinematic vision. As a platform, the festival has created the buzz to position and place a filmmaking-friendly ecosystem and experience. A convergence point to kick-start a new chapter of initiating the path of the economy within the precincts of J&K.
If J&K is to build a serious cinematic identity, the festival must resist becoming a one-off showcase. The first step towards institutionalisation lies in temporal discipline. The festival must anchor itself firmly to a fixed calendar window, a defined geography and a stable identity. A fixed date positioning works strategically; it avoids overlap with global heavyweights while aligning with India’s academic and cultural cycles, but this must now be codified and protected. A festival that shifts in time and space each year risks losing not just recall, but relevance.
Once that foundation is in place, the next big shift has to be in how the festival programmes itself. Right now, it feels like a wide, fairly inclusive mix, and that’s understandable for a first edition. But going forward, it has to feel more intentional. Less like a collection, more like a point of view. The difference between a good festival and a great one is not how many films it shows, but how clearly it knows what it wants to say through them.
That means building sections that feel thought-through. Bringing in more director-led storytelling, where the craft and perspective matter as much as the narrative itself. Giving real, central space to women-directed and women-centric cinema, not as a token category, but as a core part of the programming. And also leaning into films that engage with real, lived issues — social, political and environmental. Because the festivals that stay with you are the ones that reflect the moment you’re living in.
At the same time, J&K has the opportunity to do something most festivals in India haven’t fully managed yet: to become a space where cinema is not just screened, but developed. There is so much raw talent in J&K — students, theatre actors, independent creators and people experimenting with storytelling in ways that don’t always find platforms. The festival can step into that gap. Script labs, pitching forums, casting platforms and youth sections - these aren’t add-ons; they’re what can make the festival feel alive beyond the screenings.
The overall objective of “Rang-e-Cinema” should be to establish filming protocols that institutionalise cinema, tourism, creative collaboration, exchange and a sustainable creative economy. Policymakers need to take the baton forward to weave together locational incentives, financial props, single-window clearances and the promotion of filming infrastructure through the lens of tourism and destination marketing, an idea that has excited in the past. The festival could act as a beginning and starting point, as a catalyst, window, gateway and platform for a sustained creator’s economy.
“Rang-e-Cinema” should realistically assess the deliverables after the festival concludes, as well as the creative buzz that emerged after the event comes to a close. Its verticals must interconnect the heritage, legacy and contemporary cinematic language with experiences and ideas incubated within the festival duration. More importantly, the message should be: Cinema in India is seamless, interconnected and networked to a new language of storytelling.
The 3Cs mantra that defines any film festival ecosystem — Creativity, Culture and Commerce - has become the cornerstone of any film festival architecture, including Rang-e-Cinema. Today, film festivals have become transformative platforms, unlocking new opportunities for content creation, cross-cultural collaboration, global networking, strategic partnerships and narrative innovation. In short, they are the modern-day catalysts where storytelling meets strategy. The perfect jugalbandi of ideas, content and outreach.
“Rang-e-Cinema” boldly attempts to widen the ambit of a traditional film festival. It has ushered a new brand idea to Kashmir as a filming destination, converged a new set of stakeholders and created a unique dhun of creativity, collaboration and participation for cinephiles, and verticals under the ambit of a creator’s economy
The writer is former Civil Servant, writes on Cinema and Strategic Communication. Inputs provided by Zoya Ahmad and Vaishnavie Srinivasan; Views presented are personal.
