Jagran Film Festival, 2026, Mumbai, 04: Comments, Questions and NO answers
Jagran Film Festival, 2026, Mumbai, 04: Comments, Questions and NO answers
- A media-house organising a film festival is commendable.
- That it is a travelling festival, and is held in several cities and towns is praiseworthy.
- Having three screens is good, since it gives an attendee a chance to choose his Auditorium, but 5-6 screens would be ideal.
- Four days is ok, but 6 days are really necessary to have an impact.
- In Mumbai, JFF happens about three weeks before IFFI Goa, which gives the persons attending IFFI a chance to savour the fare on offer, and have a greater choice in Panaji.
- Recruiting volunteers and interns from colleges is a standard practice, but at JFF 2026 Mumbai, there seemed to be more of them present, than the number of attendees, at certain times.
- The volunteers and interns knew very little about the festival or the persons responsible for the main functions, they took phone numbers, with a promise to provide the information to seekers, but never called them, and did not respond to their calls/messages either. Obviously, they had either not been briefed well, or they were callous and irresponsible.
- Most of them were not seen at their positions a second time.
- Some of them, stationed at the Media Room, were polite and hospitable.
- Since there is no restaurant, except for a couple of Grade 1 eateries, within 1 km of Cinépolis, tea/coffee/snacks and even meals, should be provided, at reasonable rates. There is no demand for free lunches.
- The compères, who introduce films, conduct the felicitations of the team members of films and the Q and A, in the Auditoria, should be qualified persons. At JFF Mumbai 2026, the boys and girls given the jobs of Masters of Ceremonies performed way below par.
- Air-conditioning was not functioning outside the auditoriums at any time during the first three days. I did not attend the fourth day. Inside, it worked at some times, and did not work at other times.
- Selection of films ranged from A grade to C grade. Films of the C grade should be kept away from such prestigious film festivals.
Questions put to Ms. Sunayana, through WhatsApp, on 31 October, but no replies received till date:
A search on the Internet revealed that Ms. Sunayana Katta was the Festival Director. She describes herself as “Film Curator and Film Festival Strategist”, on Linked In.
- I asked her, “Who was heading the Organising team at JFF 2026, Mumbai? Were the Media informed about this name?”
No answer.
- Did she have a Press Conference about JFF 2026, in Mumbai? If yes, then who were invited to attend it?
No answer.
- Jagran being a Media house, were any members of the JFF team aware of the role of Media in covering a film festival? If so, who was/were designated to liaison with the Media and what was his/her role?
No answer.
- Is JFF aware that Media-persons are invited to attend all film festivals completely free of charge and that asking Media-persons to pay for registration, whether it is the full rate or discounted rate, is atrocious?
No answer.
- Was any Media list prepared for being invited to attend JFF? Is so, what was/were the criteria for the selection of this list?
No answer.
- Did JFF 2026 Mumbai refer to lists of journalists who had covered previous editions of the festival? Were they invited?
No answer.
- Were any Press Releases issued about JFF Mumbai 2026? If so, who were they sent to, and why?
No answer.
- Were any members of the Media excluded from being sent the Press Releases? If so, why?
No answer.
- Was a Media Group formed on WhatsApp for the Media attending JFF 2026 Mumbai? If so, who were included and who were left out, and why?
No answer.
- Were there cabins/work-stations/cubicles allotted to the team members, including herself, with their designations indicated by signage? Was the audience informed about who is handling what, and who should they approach for information or clarifications?
No answer.
- Were all members of the media informed that there was a Media Room on the 5th Floor of Cinépolis?
No answer.
- At all film festivals, the Media Room consists of a large sitting area, where the Media can unwind, with PCs/laptops provided, and free flow of tea and biscuits/snacks. Why was this not the case at JFF Mumbai 2026?
No answer.
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Who does JFF 2026 Mumbai consider a journalist, and qualify for hospitality? Tick as many definitions that apply.
A. A person who is given advance information about aspects of the festival, by JFF, and writes about them, before the festival.
B. A film critic, who writes brief reviews of the films screened.
C. A person who writes about the overall conduct of the festival.
D. A person who studies films of a particular category, like Competition or Documentaries, shown at the festival, and gives his/her opinions about those films.
E. A person who compares JFF Mumbai 2026 with other Indian film festivals, and suggests steps for improvement?
F. A person who watches films and interacts with the film’s team, after the screening, in the auditoria.
G. A person who comments on the selection of films in a particular year, and points out certain highs and lows.
H. A reporter, who records what happened on a particular day, and points out the highlights.\
I. A person who gives a favourable byte about the festival.
J. A person who has not seen a single film, but records a Press Conference by the various film-makers and their teams.
According to Mr. Mehek Singhi, who introduced himself as Media PR Manager, the answer is J:
A JOURNALIST IS A PERSON WHO HAS NOT SEEN A SINGLE FILM, BUT RECORDS ON VIDEO PRESS CONFERENCES BY THE VARIOUS FILM-MAKERS, AND THEIR TEAMS. ON DEMAND, HE IS EXPECTED TO PROVE HOW MANY PRESS CONFERENCES DID HE ATTEND. ONLY SUCH PERSONS ARE INVITED INTO THE MEDIA ROOM, AND ONLY THEY QUALIFY FOR BEING SERVED TEA/COFFEE/LIGHT SNACKS.
This is totally unacceptable.
JFF might not let me attend their next Film Festival in Mumbai, because I have made some serious observations, but if they recognise and respect true journalism, they will not resort to such action.
