The Jammu and Kashmir government is going to reopen the closed cinema halls and also to offer subsidies to filmmakers as part of the region’s first film policy, which has been accorded sanction.
The policy also envisions setting up of film and TV studios and processing labs in the region.
“The government shall encourage and incentivise owners to reopen closed cinema halls or modernize and upgrade the facilities and technologies available in the existing cinema halls,” reveals the new film policy.
All the incentives to such units shall be governed under the provisions of J&K Industrial Policy 2021, it says.
The subsidy amount the government offers ranges from shooting the first, second or third film and also varies from making feature film, web series/serial, TV show/serial and documentary. The amount ranges between Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2 crore and depends upon the percentage of total shooting days shot in Jammu and Kashmir.
The policy said that an appropriate security and safety arrangements would be made free of cost to enable the filmmakers to complete shooting and the permission to shoot includes police clearance which shall be granted within one month of receiving application from the applicant. The security team will be specially trained for film shoots.
“This policy sets the vision up till 2026, with the aim of maximizing the potential of both the Jammu & Kashmir film servicing industry as well as the promising local film sector,” it said.
It said the government of Jammu and Kashmir has set out the objectives of developing the region as an important destination for film production by providing beneficial incentives to the film producers; to generate opportunities for job creation; to attract additional capital investment; to provide information about the “most incredible, amazing and beautiful places” in the region and the means to attract tourists through a location directory on the Single Window portal.
The policy also aims to disseminate information about the art, culture, history, heritage, livelihood and glorious traditions of the Jammu and Kashmir besides providing opportunities for local talent in acting and film making.
To realise these objectives, the government is going to set up the Jammu & Kashmir Film Development Council (JKFDC) which will be a High-Powered Committee headed by a senior officer of the rank of Principal Secretary to the Government.
The JKFDC, as per the policy, will create an ecosystem, build a well-strategized and focused branding of J-K in the films and in the narratives surrounding those films, take measures to promote film tourism through financial intervention, facilitate the overall growth of the Jammu and Kashmir Film Industry besides other measures.
As part of its strategy, the government said it will strive to create nationally competitive infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir through renovation and up-gradation of the existing infrastructure.
The Jammu and Kashmir Film Policy 2021 would be valid for 5 years from the date of notification which is 26-08-2021.
