Films of various hues compete at the Children’s International Film Festival in Hyderabad

A variety of children films drew huge crowds at various theatres in Hyderabad and elsewhere in Telangana during the fifth day of the ongoing 20^th Golden Elephant International Children’s Film Festival of India (ICFFI) 2017.

Many children have shown interest in animation films and movies in the Little Director’s section including ‘Pixi Post’ and the Gift-bringers’ which were screened during the festival. In this category, children’s films are mde by children themselves.

Padmini Nagulapalli, Jury member for animation category, is very thrilled to  participate in ICFFI 2017. He said “this festival has inspired the children and taught them how films are written and narratted to the audience.”

Another film that caught the attention of children was a silent movie “Ehsas” directed by a 13-year-old boy from Patna in Bihar, Praveen Kumar.  The three-minute film about food waste received a standing ovation after the screening. It told a story of a boy who throws his lunch at school every day because he craves for junk food. However, one day he realises that there are many children who do not always get   meals every day and they often sleep hungry. Then he changes his attitude.

Child film maker Kumar said, “We made this film in a week’s time but the most difficult task was to get expressions from the actors because it is a silent film.”

Another film which made an impact at the festival was Sabash Biju (Bravo Biju). This film is a tribute to former Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik who was known for his leadership qualities. The movie talks about a 11-year-old child who lives with his widowed mother in a village and supports his family by selling milk. This film was screened twice at the festival.

German film crtic Wolfgang Mundt, Jury member in the live action category at the ICFFI 2017, emphasised that  Indian moves are full of emotions and there is a good story connect. He said he was very impressed with 3 indian films, Little God, Let me join you and Beelay’s Diary.  “This festival is one of the greatest in the world,” he reacted.

Director Alani Sridhar, who has directed children’s film “Doo Doo, Dhee Dhee,” is full of excitement with his film entering the festival. This film cautions younger generation to stay  in touch with their roots and not get lost in the digial stage. Three child artists figure in the film.

Iranian film ‘Houra’ was also screened at this festival. It focusses on the acute water problem faced in Iran. The story is about a teenager who struggles to maintain a garden where  he lives with his family. Surrounded by desert, the garden gets dried  up due to acute shortage of water. However, the boy struggles to preserve the garden because it is the only memory of his mother who had passed away due to water crisis.

ICFFI 2017 begins on a colourful note

The Golden Elephant ICFFI 2017 opened on a colourful note with spectacular performances of children at Shilpkala Vedica where film actors Zara Wasim of ‘Dangal’ fame and South India actor Poonam Kaur were felicitated last night by Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI) and Telangana Government which have organised the week-long festival.

Before the screening of films began at various theatres in Hyderabad and elsewhere in Telangana state today, the Jury members had a brief meeting which was presided by me in capacity as the Festival Director. The topic of the discussion was on how to judge the films for the awards.

Popular actor Amala Akkineni and Jury member was of the view that the Jury should focus on the story of the film while reviewing it for the award and not on creative aspects. Amala is the Chairperson of Asian Panorama Jury.

Leading Television actress Sakshi Tanwar said, “We have to encourage children in film making and appreciate their point of view. If they express a problem through their films, we (Jury) should focus on that and view the films from their point of view.” She heads the Jury in Little Directors category in which children’s films are made by children themselves.

Another prominent Jury member Dr Madhu Chopra, mother of actor Priyanka Chopra and film producer, said, “I look at children’s films radically and I do not want to treat them (children) as imbeciles (idots),” Dr Chopra is the Chairperson of International Jury Live action category.

Actor Dia Mirza, who  is the chairperson of International Shorts Jury category will be in the city too. Other prominent members of the Jury from abroad include Michael Harbauer, eminent Festival Director in Europe, Wolfgang Mundt, Journalist, Pierre Assouline, Theatrical and International Distributor, Elizabeth Muskala, Programmer and Consultant, Children’s content.

The Festival opened with film titled “School Chalega” made by Ameet Prajapati. This film tells the story of a 12-year-old deaf and mute boy Goonj who is left alone on the crowded Dadar Railway station in Mumbai and comes on the radar of a child trafficking gang, However, Goonj is rescued finally by another child after the gang is busted.

Some of the films screened in festival  theatres today include Molly Monster (Animation/Germany), Phantom Boy (Animation/France), Hanuman Da Damdar  (Animation/India), Chocolate (Asian Panorama/Iran), Oddsockeaters (Animation/Czech Republic, Slovakia, Crotia), Hell of a wedding (Animation, Iran), Appu – the crazy boy (children’s world/India), Bravo Biju (Children’s world/ India), Big and Little (CW/Switzerland), Jill and Joy’s winter (Finland).

Other films screened were Poorna (India), Wendy (Germany), Beelay’s Diary (India), Doctor Proctor Bubble in the bathtub (Norway),  Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate (india), In the forest of Huckybucky (Norway), Siv Sleeps Astray (Holland, Sweden), Storm letters of Fire (Belgium), Barkley (Taiwan),  Becoming Who I was (Korea), Ballad from Tibet (China), Horizon (India).

20TH ICFFI ALL SET TO ROLL OUT RED CARPET FOR INDUSTRY STALWARTS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

Friends, in my previous blog, I had shared details about the 20 th Golden Elephant – ICFFI, being held from November 8 to 14 at Hyderabad. Throwing more light on one of the largest and most colourful children’s film festival in the world, I would like to reiterate that the 20th Golden Elephant aims to screen high quality International children’s cinema which children may not get to see anywhere else.

No doubt, the festival promises to be a grand event and aims to attract large number of children audience along with film personalities from around the world. In 40 years, over 20 editions, this festival has only gone from strength to strength.

The last three editions for which I have had the privilege of being the festival director has seen exponential growth in terms of curatorial content and participation of best films from every nook and corner of the world. From an average of 300 to 400 entries in previous editions, I would like to inform you that while the 18th ICFFI in 2013 received 894 entries from various countries, the following edition on 2015 received 1204 entries and now, for the 20th ICFFI, we have received a phenomenal 1402 entries from 109 countries.

At CFSI, our major focus is to make this a truly international film festival for children and by children by conducting training and workshops for children in film making. This festival will consider the children’s view points and create a universal theme from children’s interest as well.

Around 40 Festival Directors of various International Children’s Film Festivals and children’s film makers from across the world will converge at the 20 th ICFFI. My main aim in taking children’s films made in India to global audience is also to bring revenues and market the content.

My efforts during the previous editions of ICFFI to make it a truly international festival has borne fruit. And, my recent travel to the world market, where I attended various film festivals and my meetings with top film makers and festival directors has added to getting more people to the festival.

I was invited to attend MIPCOM, the global market for entertainment content across all platforms, and MIP Junior, the world’s showcase for kid’s programming, held in the French town of Cannes.

Attending the BFI London Film Festival was another fruitful visit, where I met some of the well- known film makers and festival directors and had discussions for partnerships for Golden Elephant and other areas of collaboration. At the Cinekid Festival at Amsterdam, I had the opportunity to meet Sannette Naye, former CEO of Cinekid. Our mutual interest in children’s films and discussions thereof led to Naye agreeing to work wholeheartedly for enhancing the creativity of children in India through the medium of films especially the rural children, taking the Little Director’s initiative to logical conclusion. I also had a fruitful interaction with the current CEO of Cinekid, Floor van Spaendonck.

Both my earlier and recent visits have resulted in congregation of the global stakeholders including film makers and festival directors at this year’s do, which will be a maha sangam for children’s content.

Look forward to sharing more such successful partnerships and collaborations from across the globe, which helps in making top quality children’s films as well as marketing them aggressively on international platforms.

COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR 20TH ICFFI

Friends, it’s time again for all of us at Children’s Film Society, India to be a part of and join the celebration of an event for and by the children – The International Children’s film Festival of India (ICFFI).

Yes, the 20th International Children’s film Festival of India (ICFFI), also known as the “Golden Elephant” will be held from November 8 to 14 at Telangana, hosted by Telangana Government jointly with the Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI) and the Ministry of I&B, Government of India.

Am happy to share that the theme for this year’s festival is ‘New India’, in line with our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise of creating a New India by 2022.

The record number of entries received for the 20th ICFFI is proof enough that our efforts during the previous editions has borne fruit in making ICFFI a truly Global festival. We have already received 1,402 entries, from as many as 109 countries so far in various categories including Animation, Documentary and Short films. During the 19th Golden Elephant, we had received 1204 films from 80 countries.

I curated a competition section for ‘Little Directors’ during the 18th edition of ICFFI in 2013. Under this segment, films for children were made and directed by children themselves.

During the 19th ICFFI, we had received 187 entries from eight countries in the Little Directors Section as against 123 entries during the 18th ICFFI. This time, we have received 179 entries so far, out of which 101 are from India and the remaining from over 30 countries. This clearly indicates that the festival has gained popularity world over.

The highlight of 20th ICFFI is that we will showcase films made by children living in war zones and conflict areas. For these children, living in the border areas and fringes, this is the only relief, which can bring a smile on their faces. Our core intention is to mainstream these children through their creativity.

Our efforts are not only educating them through alphabets and numbers, but by introducing them to various cultures as well.

We will also organize screening for visually handicapped children at specially arranged events during the festival. Films are equipped with a special audio track that aids comprehension. Currently, CFSI has 10 such films with a special audio track.

The festival will also host workshops on animation, script writing, film making, Q&A sessions, dance and theatre. Open Forums will be held to stimulate critical appreciation and creative pursuits of cinematic arts among youngsters. These workshops help in inculcating among youths the art of film making.

Our main idea behind this is to engage children in making films right from the stage of ideation, script writing, acting, direction and shooting. This is how children learn to express themselves through the medium of films and thus get a platform to showcase their finished products.

So, block your dates and be a part of this colourful event.

‘Gauru – Journey of Courage’ – a must watch movie for every child

Going by the great response received by the audience for the opening film ‘Gauru – Journey of Courage’ screened during the inaugural of the National Children’s Film Festival, held in Jaipur recently, we are in talks with multiple distributors across the country to have the movie get a theatrical release.

Produced by Children Film Society, India (CFSI) and directed by Ramkishan Nandram Choyal, Gauru is a must watch film for every child in India as it effectively brings out the essence of deep bonding between a child and his grandmother. It’s a story of how a 13-year-old shepherd boy fulfils his grandmother’s last wish to visit her native place as she has never been there after marriage.
Children watching this film will surely connect with the character of Gauru and his love for his grandmother. Gauru is also close to my heart. I could visualize myself as Gauru, the protagonist in the movie, as even I shared a similar rapport with my grandmother.

Having said so much about Gauru, I also wish to share with you why I was convinced with Choyal about the making of Gauru, his directorial debut. While assisting on Kaphal, another offering from CFSI, Choyal narrated the script of Gauru to me. I felt the story was very impactful and I was bowled by his detailed narration, which was effective and melodramatic.

The underlying theme of the movie, which highlights the endeavour of a young boy to fulfil his grandmother’s wish who lies on her deathbed, connected with me instantly. I could relate to the rapport I had with my grandmother and had shared similar experiences with her. I was also nostalgic because it is my grandmom who introduced the magic of the movies to me. I recall watching my first movie with her as we both travelled all the way from our village to the district head quarter.

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The other aspect which touched me deeply is Gauru‘s love for animals. Being born in the family of shepherds, who are called Raikas in Rajasthan, his love for sheep and how tends to them has been showcased brilliantly. Children, generally, have an innate connection with animals and exhibit genuine love for the four-legged.

The dramatization of the young boy’s journey to reach his grandmother’s village to fulfil her last wish against all odds, his love for animals and the ecosystem he is entwined with, the depiction of life and relationships in the hinterlands of India – all these aspects made me go ahead with the project and bring this beautiful subject out on the screens. What’s more, Gauru also brings with it a positive and hopeful message that dreams can be fulfilled and will have a positive impact in the minds of children. And Ritvik Sahore has done a commendable job as Gauru in the movie!

When Gauru hits the screens during the summer vacation in April 2017, I want every child to walk in

to the theatres along with their parents and enjoy the movie!

Jaipur children unleash their creative talent through Open Forums and Workshops at NCFF

It was a day to remember, not only for me, but for some of the best, young creative talents of Jaipur.

Curtains came down on the National Children’s Film Festival (NCFF) with a fitting finale with a bunch of enthusiastic and creative children, who participated in the film making workshop, making a 1.5-minute film ‘My Friend’.

The Jawahar Kala Kendra, which was full of life with children from various schools taking part in the Open Forums, Workshops and Kids Carnival for the last three days, proved that, cinema, no doubt, is a powerful medium through which we can effectively inculcate family values among children and make them aware of social issues.

The Open Forum on the third day of NCFF, which had an august team of speakers, deliberated on the theme “How has the various media and communication platforms covered various issues related to children? What more and different things can be done in this direction.”

The observations and discussions by eminent panelists/speakers in the Forum were very interesting.

Prof. Dr. Sandeep Sancheti, President, Manipal University, Jaipur stressed on the need for enhancing and promoting the thought processes and creative talent of children. Anshu Harsh, Founder of Rajasthan International Film Festival made an important observation that children of today are aware of the good and the bad, and the media should keep this in mind.

Kalyansinh Kothari, Secretary General, Lok Samvad Sansthan felt that it’s the responsibility of all of us to bring about a change in the society while the media just highlights the need for a particular change. Rajendra Bora, Former Chief of Dainik Bhaskar, said that media is an effective medium to educate children, but it also depends on how we make use of it.

Manan Suman Chaturvedi, Chairperson, Children’s Commission, Rajasthan Government; Daksh Garg, Founder, Blabworld; Prof. Ujjwal K Chowdhury, Media & Education Consultant; Former Dean, Symbiosis & Amity Universities; Prof. Avinash Tripathy, film journalist including myself were present at the Open Forum.

Earlier during the day, noted film producer Ashok Kaul conducted a film making workshop for children, where he taught them the tricks of film making. He also introduced them to cinematography, direction, handling the camera and even acting skills. It was a wonderful sight to see those curious children learn the art of film making.

CFSI will edit this short film and showcase them at the National and International Children’s Film Festivals in the future.  Looking at the success of both the editions of NCFF, I am eagerly looking forward to hold the children’s film festival at district-level.

The three-day National Children’s Film Festival, held in the Pink City of Jaipur, has further strengthened our resolve to reach out to more and more children in different states and districts through children’s films and to bring out their creative talent in the art of film making.

I take this opportunity to thank my colleagues at CSFI and the officials of Government of Rajasthan, who, in the last few months, worked day and night and supported us in making this film festival a grand success.

Children exhibit joy and surprise, indulge in knowledge-sharing on the second day of NCFF 2016

This time again, the National Children’s Film Festival (NCFF) proved that the audio-visual medium has a tremendous impact on children. The second edition of NCFF, being held in the pink city of Jaipur, is witnessing attendance of children to packed houses at all 10 theatres across the city, where Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI) is screening 40 children’s movies.

In addition to screening movies, CFSI has also organised Open Forums, Workshops and Kids carnival for children at the Jawahar Kala Kendra, on all the three days.

As part of this, for the first time, I had the privilege of interacting with child achievers in the Open Forum on the theme “Child Achievers: Sharing their journey, and their views on children in films and media.”

These children, in the age group of 8 to 15, had achieved successes in their own might and were winners of several International and National awards. They shared their experience and successes with the children audience and their parents present at the Open Forum

Day 2: CFSI chairperson Mukesh Khanna, CEO Dr Shravan Kumar with the young celebrities from Jaipur at our open forum

It’s very interesting to know more about these young achievers. Manan Sood, also known as the ‘Google Boy’ surprised everyone with his general knowledge. This six-year old feels that cartoon films, among children films, have an impact on children.

Nine-year old writer-dancer Lachi Prajapati is a bundle of talent. Generally known as the ‘Golden Girl’ she says she remembers 15 chapters of Srimad Bhagwadgita. She has also been dancing since she was 2.5 years old. This vibrant, young talent is also a poet and has also written a lot on the Beti Bachao Campaign. At the young age of 9, she has also written a book titled ‘Sit a While With Me’.
One could not take their eyes off from the mesmerising Kathak dance performance by Jayati Mukherjee who belongs to the Jaipur Gharana.

Similar to Manan Sood, Jyotika Chatnani too could tell the capitals of many countries and of all the states in India with ease. She also remembered the names of all the presidents of India.
Another talented achiever Ratika Sharma introduced her scientific talent to the audience. She also spoke about a Scientific project, which could give relief to states like Rajasthan from water-scarcity.

The children also participated in the Animation Workshop conducted by noted international and Indian award-winning animation filmmaker Dhvani Desai. The curious children listened in rapt attention when Desai explained to them about the history of animation and the various techniques of animation including the 2-D and 3-D. Later, the children were also treated to an animation film.

The success of our film festival and its programmes stand testimony to our efforts to nurture the creativity among these bright and talented children.

Second edition of NCFF opened to a colourful start in the pink city of Jaipur

The Birla Auditorium in the Pink City of Jaipur was decorated like a colourful bride on November 14. I was amazed to see the entire auditorium abuzz with laughter, cheer and hoots as the children expressed joy in seeing their favourite film heroes participate in the inaugural ceremony of the second edition of the National Children’s Film Festival (NCFF) in Jaipur.

Yes, it was a day to remember for me as well thousands of children from various schools across Jaipur and for the officials of Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI) and officials of Government of Rajasthan as well.

Jointly organised by CFSI and Government of Rajasthan, the three-day National Children’s Film Festival opened to a colourful start with the presence of noted Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Ila Arun, Darsheel Safary, Tisca Chopra and Faisal Khan.

Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, CFSI Chairperson Mukesh Khanna, Ad Guru Piyush Pandey and senior officials of Rajasthan Government were also present to kick start the event.

Actor Irrfan Khan, who recalled his childhood and how he became an actor, called on the children to 'keep dreaming', and said, "dreams come true when they are real."

MoS Rajyavardhan Rathore, CFSI Chairperson Mukesh Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Ila Arun, Piyush Pandey and Ramkishan Choyal  

Khan said that his interest in education became serious when he realised which was the subject he liked the most - that's Drama. “One should understand the calling from within. You should listen to the voice that comes from within and only then your journey in the chosen field becomes successful,” he informed.

Actor Anil Kapoor said that making children's films is even more challenging in today's times as children are exposed to technology and the digital medium. “They know so much about this creative art of film making. With advancement in digital technology, children are involved in making short films and documentaries. This should continue,” he said.

Kapoor also expressed happiness on workshops and open forums being organised at this festival. “Let's make the festival theme 'Make in India' become a reality by making quality films for children and by children,” he said.

Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, who was very supportive in enabling us hold the second edition of NCFF at Jaipur, called on the children to enjoy themselves for three days and unleash their creativity in the days to come.

It was a real treat to one’s eyes to see thousands of children, accompanied by their respective teachers, had arrived in groups to witness the inaugural ceremony. The crowded auditorium resonated with laughter, cheer and screams during the various cultural programmes.

Graceful Bihu Dance

The inaugural ceremony saw some colourful performances including a vibrant dance performance by youngsters from the Terrence Dance Troupe, a colourful Bihu dance, Puppetry Show, a ventriloquism act etc. 

CFSI’s offering ‘Gauru’, directed by Ramkishan Choyal, who is also from Rajasthan was screened as the opening film of the festival after the inaugural ceremony at the auditorium. Gauru holds a special place in the hearts of the audience as the entire film is also shot in Rajasthan.

The sprawling lawns of the Birla Auditorium was decorated with colourful buntings while Rajasthani Folk dancers and musicians welcomed the guests at the entrance. The children enjoyed the movement of a joker and a man dressed as Charlie Chaplin in and out of the auditorium. In all, the three-day film festival kicked off to a colourful start.

The Workshops, Open Forums and the Kids Carnival at Jawahar Kala Kendra also drew huge crowd.

The Open Forum, with the theme, "Children's Films: The Indian Experience, Challenges, Possibilities" saw the participation of children, parents as well as teachers.

With Prof. Ujjwal K Chowdhury, Media & Education Consultant, Former Dean, Symbiois & Amity Universities moderating the Forum, the panel was chaired by CFSI Chairman Mukesh Khanna;  Abhishek Ray, Music Director, I Am Kalaam; Cyrus Dastur, Founder, Shamiana Short Film Movement and Avinash Tripathy, Jury, Rajasthan International Film Festival and me.

In all, it was an event to remember for children of Jaipur, who will get to see some of the best children’s movies during the three-day film festival.

All roads leading to National Children’s Film Festival 2016 in Jaipur

Just two more days to go. The countdown has begun for the second edition of National Children’s Film Festival, to be held in Jaipur.

In the first edition of the NCFF, my main aim was to promote film making for children. When I was the festival director for the previous film festival, The Golden Elephant, to curate a section of children’s film made in India, I saw shortage of films for children. I was scouting for good films, but the selection committee was not able to zero in on good numbers to make a separate India section at the festival. That gave me a reason to ponder whether we have that culture in the country where quality films are being made for children in the market.

The introspection also led to the fact that CFSI being the children’s film making organisation, also has the mandate to foster this kind of culture among film makers in the country.  So, we conceptualized the NCFF, the first edition of which was held in Delhi in 2014, which received a good response.

Celebration and colour at our first National Children's Film Festival 2014 in Delhi

The festival had a carnival type of ambience and children enjoyed the movies, after which the cast and crew also did a workshop with them. Many film makers also participated and parents of the children audience were also very happy with the whole experience. So, with the first edition, we set the tempo both for the children audience and their parents to make them attracted towards this exclusive content for children through these Children’s films as well as to push the community of film makers to make more films as well as utilise this platform to showcase their films and get an opportunity to interact with the audience.

The first edition of the festival had ‘Swachta’ as its theme with environmental concerns at the forefront. We are taking that moment forward in the second edition too. As we had decided that this festival should be a traveling festival and reach to the children audience and film makers both, we decided to choose Jaipur, which has a very vibrant culture and the city is also emerging as a film destination.

Jaipur is a good venue to host children’s films and towards that objective we invited entries and got very good response and we have selected around 40 films. And this time, we have the support of the state government in giving us 10 theatres across the city including multiplexes and stand-alone cinemas.

In the first edition, we screened movies in only three theatres in Delhi. We want the children to have a theatrical experience, which is the main goal for us in spreading the children’s films movement. We should have children’s films playing in the theatres, where children can walk in for free with their parents and have that great experience.

We are looking forward to around 50,000 school children participate in the film festival from Nov 14 to 16. CFSI is also holding film making workshops and open forums on the side lines of the film festival.

Come, enjoy the films and have fun!

An invitation to the 2nd National Children's Film Festival in Jaipur

The festive season marks the beginning of all things new and I feel privileged to announce the 2nd National Children’s Film Festival. Yes, it’s time for much cheer, joy and celebration.

Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI) is organising the second edition of National Children’s Film Festival from November 14 to 16 this year in Jaipur.

After successfully organizing the first edition of the Fest in Delhi in 2014, we are looking forward to screening some quality films for children and in turn make them a part of the process of film making through workshops and screenings.

The National Children’s Film Festival is a traveling Fest. As we are engaged in providing value-based entertainment to children through the powerful medium of films, we want to reach out to different states in each edition and promote films that provide healthy and wholesome entertainment for children to broaden their perspective and also encourage them to get involved in the art of film making and bring out their hidden talent.

Children enjoying themselves at our 19th Edition of the Golden Elephant

At CFSI, our aim is to foster the culture of making films and through these film Fests we want to provide a platform for children as well as film makers.

During the earlier editions of International Children’s Film Fest, we had a separate section inviting entries from Indian film makers. We realized that not only the number of entries was low from India, but we also saw that the entries lacked quality films that could be curated. They could not compete with other movies. Hence, we had to change the category from India section to Asia section.

Nurturing their creativity and exposing the children coming from various parts of India to a value based entertainment through CFSI movies was the thought behind conceiving the National Children’s Film Fest two years back. As the director of the film Fest, I am happy to see film makers as well as children showing interest in films made for and of them.

However, nothing would be as good as films made by children. Towards this objective, I curated a section called “Little Directors” in the 18th Golden Elephant held on November 14, 2013, which was a huge success with 123 entries. The section went truly international in the 19th edition of Golden Elephant with over 200 entries from 8 countries. It’s now my endeavour to make every child into a Little Director, telling their own stories through this wonderful medium of films. The idea behind NCFF is to achieve this goal.

I introduced the concept of Little Directors, because I have always believed that children with their boundless imagination have a huge potential to make communications. Films as a medium has a huge potential to impact masses. And what can be a better way to train our future generation who could be the harbingers of a constructive change in the society.

During the first edition of the National Children’s Film Festival, held in Delhi, we screened films such as Seema Desai’s Pappu Ki Pugdandi, Shortcut Safari, The Goal, Mahek Mirza, Krish Trish and Baltiboy and Ek Ajooba. The 1st NCFF 2014 had also incorporated `Swachhata’ as its central theme taking the “Swachha Bharat” initiative of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to the future citizens of India i.e. children.

I extend a warm invitation to not only children, but their parents and teachers as well to block their dates in November to be a part of our National Children’s Film Festival in Jaipur.

And, what better day to kick-start the Fest on November 14 – Children’s Day it is!!