Cinematographer Pooja Gupte on launching Flare Cinematography Film Festival

The first fortnight of 2026 marked a new beginning for cinematographers in the Hindi film industry. In a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, cinematographer Pooja Gupte launched the Flare Cinematography Film Festival, which places the spotlight firmly on directors of photography (DoP). The two-day event, which kicked off on January 13, was backed by directors Vasan Bala and Sriram Raghavan, along with noted DoP Anil Mehta, and Aamir Khan Productions’ CEO Aparna Purohit.   

Talking to mid-day, Gupte said that the absence of cinematography-focused festivals in India surprised her since her film school days. “There are a few such festivals in Europe, one in Poland and another in Estonia. But there was nothing in Asia. Since my film school days, I kept wondering why we didn’t have something of our own,” she said.

Cinematographer and festival founder Pooja Gupte

That led her to launch Flare Cinematography Film Festival, which screened 27 films this year. Besides eight international movies, the line-up included Indian short films like Sonsi, Pilibhit, and If You Know You Know, documentaries, and work by both senior and emerging DoPs. This edition’s focus was on women filmmakers and cinematographers. Gupte reasoned, “When I started out, there were four or five women cinematographers. But I never thought of cinematography as something that had a gender. Over time, I [doubled down on the belief] that there is no gender bias in the craft. This year, I wanted to celebrate women cinematographers. Next year onwards, we’ll celebrate the craft.”

27
Films that were screened over the two-day festival

Events held at:

. PVR Citi Mall
. Veda Kunba Theatre