City to host International Children Film Festival

The city will host the 16th International Children's film festival between November 14 and November 20 . The festival for which Hyderabad has been the permanent host since 1995, is being organised by the state government and Children film society of India. The film festival will be inaugurated by Union Minister Ambika Soni and Chief Minister K Rosaiah at Lalitakala Toranam on Novemner 14. Children Film Society of India has selected over 70 films for screening from International, Asian and movies selected by children categories.


These movies will be screened in eight theatres across the city apart from three screens at Prasad Multiplex. The government will give the details of the theatres where the movies will be screened by the end of next week. The film festival that is organised in the city once in two years will for the first time have workshops in animation, acting, story telling and film making for students. CFSI has also decided to have a special screening for blind children with the help of specialists. Until last film festival ,only International films were given the golden elephant awards. This time the society has decided to include awards to Asian films too.

The Chairperson of the society , actor Nandita Das who was in the city to oversee the arrangements for the festival said that the films will be screened for free to all the children and there will be special screenings of about 25 films by UNICEF and a few German movies this time. "We have included awards in screenplay and Asian films category. Though I wanted to include Indian children films category, there were hardly any good Indian films for children. Only six Indian movies were selected for thescreening of which two are animated movies from Hyderabad. Children can walk into any of the theatres that are screening the movies for free. We have also organised for open forums where topics on enhancing the quality of children's films in India will be discussed. Over 250 child delegates will come from all over India and five delegates from each district in the state will also participate." said actor Nandita Das, Chairperson, Children film society of India., who also rubbished the rumours that the venue of this festival is being shifted to Goa.


About two lakh children from across the state are expected to view films during this festival. The state government has announced that it would provide free transport for the students to reach the theatres and is also organising cultural events at Lalitakala Toranam in the city on all the days during the festival.
The state government which is making arrangements for the festival, announced that it plans to start a Children film complex in the city. Though the state government offered land to the society to start its complex in the city, the central government didn't approve of it. Minister for Cinematography Dr J Geetha Reddy said that irrespective of the central government's decision, the state government will give space for the society to start its complex in the city soon. The Children film society is trying to rope in a few Bollywood and Tollywood stars to participate in the festival. The mascot of the festival and details on the jury will be announced in the first week of November.