Srinagar, September 08: Arifa, directed by Rohin Raveendran Nair, has been selected among five films for the J&K Select Section, the competitive category of the first International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) 2026.
Produced by Gubbara Entertainment and written by Durgesh Singh, Arifa is part of the three-film anthology Kashmir Muhabbat Se, which seeks to present a more intimate and humane portrayal of Kashmir beyond headlines and stereotypes.
The film follows an estranged daughter who returns to Kashmir to see her dying father. As she comes back to her ancestral home, buried memories resurface, giving the father and daughter one final opportunity to confront their past and make peace with each other.
The film explores themes of family, memory, reconciliation and belonging against the backdrop of Kashmir.
The other films selected for the J&K Select Section are Searching for the Grandpa, directed by Mohammad Wali; Batt Koch (The Lost Lane), directed by Siddarth Koul and Ankit Wali; Tasrufdaar (Djinns of Kashmir), directed by Kapil Mattoo; and Naqsh-e-Daur (The Story of Ghulam Nabi Dhar), directed by Baba Tassaduq Hussain.
According to the festival organisers, the films were recommended by the Preview Committee after reviewing submissions and assessing their artistic merit and suitability for the competitive section.
The selected films span Kashmiri and Hindi languages and explore a range of themes, including childhood, family, displacement, identity, heritage, resilience and the changing social landscape of Kashmir.
The five films will be screened as part of the competitive programming of the four-day IFFJK, providing filmmakers and audiences an opportunity to engage with diverse cinematic narratives rooted in Jammu and
