The Himalayan Film Festival will hold its maiden edition on September 24 in Leh, Ladakh’s capital city, according to organizers.
The five-day film festival, organized by the administration of Ladakh in conjunction with the Directorate of Film Festivals (DIFF) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will end on September 28.
The festival is a component of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’
Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs, and Sports, will be the event’s chief guest. The event is part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
Local filmmakers will take an active part in it
In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for Jan Bhagidhari, the film festival will feature active involvement from local filmmakers and will exhibit talent from several Himalayan states and Union Territories.
During the movie gala, popular films from Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh, as well as Indian Panorama chosen films, will be shown.
Masterclasses and in-depth discussions will also be held
During the event, Priya Krishnaswamy will teach editing, Nallamuthu will teach wildlife, Nila Madhab Panda will direct, and Phonsok Ladakhi will act.
The masterclasses are designed to offer emerging and seasoned filmmakers the essential skills and networking opportunities.
The In-conversation seminars will feature renowned cinema personalities such as Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Anupama Chopra, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and Kirti Kulhari.
‘Shershaah,’ a film by Sidharth Malhotra, will be shown at the opening ceremony
There will also be a competition component for short films and documentaries to honor exceptional Himalayan filmmakers, interact with the region’s sparsely dispersed film-making community, and promote new talent.
Notably, Sidharth Malhotra’s recent film, Shershaah, will be played during the opening ceremony, while The Shepherdess of Glacier will close the event.
The festival’s goal is to promote Ladakh as an appealing film destination
Padma Angmo, Secretary of Information, earlier stated that the five-day festival seeks to provide an interaction and exposure platform to encourage budding local filmmakers and to promote Ladakh as an appealing film location.