Iranian drama Whisper My Name won Best Film at the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir, with acting, directing and technical honours shared across international and J&K films.
The four-day festival concluded in Srinagar on September 10, bringing together films from around 40 countries across its international competition and various curated sections.
Directed by Rasoul Sadr Ameli, Whisper My Name also won Best Actor (Male) for Amin Hayayee. Tanya Maniktala won Best Actor (Female) for Rohin Raveendran's Arifa, which premiered at the festival on September 8.
Husnora Rozmatova won Best Director for The Song Sustoxin, which also received the Best Debut Film award.
The technical awards were spread across the competition. Baba Tasaduq Hussain won Best Cinematography for Naqsh-e-Daur, Victor Brasie received Best Sound Design for Sarah Francis' Dead Dog, and Maja Ajmia Zellama won Best Editing for Têtes Brûlées.
The festival's J&K Select award went to Kapil Mattoo's Tasrufdaar (Djinns of Kashmir), which received the Best Film award in the section along with a cash prize of ₹10 lakh.
The inaugural awards therefore placed international cinema alongside films rooted in Jammu & Kashmir, with the region represented both in the main competition awards and through the dedicated J&K Select prize.
IFFJK 2026 award winners
- Best Film — Whisper My Name, directed by Rasoul Sadr Ameli
- Best Actor (Male) — Amin Hayayee, Whisper My Name
- Best Actor (Female) — Tanya Maniktala, Arifa
- Best Director — Husnora Rozmatova, The Song Sustoxin
- Best Debut Film — The Song Sustoxin
- Best Cinematography — Baba Tasaduq Hussain, Naqsh-e-Daur
- Best Sound Design — Victor Brasie, Dead Dog
- Best Editing — Maja Ajmia Zellama, Têtes Brûlées
- Best Film — J&K Select — Tasrufdaar (Djinns of Kashmir), directed by Kapil Mattoo
Watch Trailer of Whisper My Name
