Preliminary meeting for Sikkim International Film Festival

GANGTOK, (IPR): A preliminary meeting regarding the first Sikkim International Film Festival (SIFF) 2026, tentatively scheduled to be held from March 19 to March 22, was convened at the office of the secretary, Information and Public Relations Department (IPRD) on Monday.

The meeting was chaired by Annapurna Alley, secretary IPRD and attended by Yougan Tamang, press secretary to CM, Sanjay Dilpali Rai, chairperson, Culture Development Board, Sunil Mothay, director IPRD, Tribeny Rai, filmmaker, representative from the Tourism and Civil Aviation department and officers and staff of the IPR department.

At the outset, the secretary briefed about the proposed four-day Sikkim International Film Festival to be held in Gangtok in March 2026. She highlighted that SIFF 2026 aims to promote Sikkim as a hub for film shooting, tourism, culture, and the creative economy. The festival also seeks to enhance national and international collaboration with the Sikkim film sector and encourage local filmmakers and audiovisual creators through SIFF and WAVES Bazaar, she added.

The meeting discussed the constitution of the core team responsible for implementation and deliberated on key planning aspects, including regional film screenings, film competition themes, budget framework and funding through sponsors and CSR, brand strategy encompassing the festival’s tagline and theme, and national and local media management.

Further, the meeting deliberated on the approval of logos and overall strategy by the core committee, formation of preview and sub-committees involving departmental and nodal departments, and finalisation of the launch timeline for promotional activities such as posters, teasers, and competition announcements, along with other strategic initiatives.