Mumbai, Jan 15: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the Union Territory is working to become an attractive destination for filmmaking, emphasizing the need for local infrastructure and talent development.
During a visit to the Mumbai-based Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) at the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Omar highlighted the importance of collaborations to boost post-production capabilities and filmmaking expertise in J&K. “We are trying to revive filmmaking in Jammu and Kashmir. To make the UT an attractive destination, human talent and post-production skills must be developed locally, and partnering with an institution like IICT is crucial,” he said.
The CM explored avenues for institutional collaboration and student exchange programs between IICT and the J&K government. He also expressed hope that IICT’s hub-and-spoke model, with a central campus in Mumbai and satellite centres elsewhere, could be replicated in J&K in the future. “A satellite campus in J&K could provide trained talent locally, reduce production costs, and create jobs,” he noted.
IICT, India’s national nodal institute for AVGC-XR (Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality), operates with support from the Union I&B Ministry, Maharashtra government, and industry bodies FICCI and CII. The institute bridges academia, industry, technology, and policy to nurture talent, drive innovation, and enhance India’s global competitiveness in creative technologies.