Srinagar, Sept. 8 -- Srinagar has a different energy this week. Filmmakers, actors, producers and cinema professionals have arrived in the city, turning the valley into a meeting place for Indian and international cinema.

The first International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir, organised by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, runs from September 7 to 10 under the theme "Rang-e-Cinema." It brings 135 films from 41 countries, along with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema.

The spectacle is welcome, but the opportunity behind it is far more important.

Kashmir has produced writers, actors, musicians, photographers, filmmakers and television professionals with enormous creative ability. Many found their meeting po...