| The Chief Minister
of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, then lit the
traditional lamp, accompanied by all the dignitaries on the
dais. They included Union Minister Dasari Narayan Rao who
is himself an acclaimed filmmaker,
 the Andhra
Information and Public Relations Minister A Ram Narayan Reddy,
Mr. M S Reddy who is former Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh
State Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation,
its Managing Director C Partha Sarathi, Mrs Nafisa Ali who
is Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society, India,
and its Chief Executive Officer and Festival Director Kuldeep
Sinha, apart from Jayasdha and Prabhas. The Chief Minister
then went to the portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru and made floral
offering, before launching the large balloon-sized replica
of Gajju with the globe under one of its feet which went up
to the accompaniment of loud cheers. The VIPs also launched
balloons signifying freedom, joy and pleasure. Speaking on
the occasion, Dr Reddy appealed to filmmakers to make more
meaningful and family oriented films and said while he could
understand their compulsions to make films that had to carry
matter which could be commercially saleable, it was necessary
to keep
the young audiences in mind and make their films ‘thought-oriented’.
Jayasudha and Prabhas who also spoke on the occasion expressed
happiness at the large number of countries taking part. Describing
the Festival as a celebration of cinema to mark the 119th
birth anniversary of Nehru, Mrs Nafisa Ali urged the entire
audience to shout the word ‘more’ to call for
a larger number of films for children. She said that out of
a total of 300 entries received from forty |
CFSI
Committed to developing Children Film Complex in Hyderabad:
Kuldeep Sinha For friends of Gajju who have come from different
parts of India, the next week is going to be one of fun, frolic,
and films! Speaking at the opening of the Media Centre of
the 15th International Children’s Film Festival at the
Prasad Imax, speaker after speaker emphasized the importance
that will be given to the young ones over the next week. Chief
Executive Officer of the Children’s Film Society, India,
and Festival Director Kuldeep Sinha said a total of 120 films
were being screened during the festival which concludes on
November 20, including 41 in the International Competition
and twenty in the Asian Panorama. He said the aim of the separate
section on Digital films was to encourage younger filmmakers
to take to this cheaper form of filmmaking. He said the CFSI
was committed to developing a Film Complex for Children at
the site allotted by the state government to the CFSI in this
city. Mr C Partha Sarthi, Managing Director of the Andhra
Pradesh State Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation,
said a separate section had been introduced showcasing children’s
films made in Telugu in Andhra Pradesh. He said around 300
children had been invited, including some from every district
of the state. A Festival catalogue in Telugu, the entire schedule
of screenings, and the first edition of the Festival Daily
in Telugu were released by Mr Sinha on this occasion. Senior
critic Vardachari who is Chairman of the Media Relations Committee,
lamented that good films for children failed to find a good
market, though he appreciated the help being given by the
state government by way of subsidy. The Media Centre has been
equipped with computers, phone and fax facilities for the
Indian and international media coming to the city of the Charminar
for the Festival. A website, www.cff-hyd.in was also launched
to provide information to the media.
- Y. Sunita Chowdhary |
countries, the
selection committee had chosen 119 films from thirty countries.
Meanwhile, she announced the decision of the CFSI to institute
biennial National Children Film Awards, alternating with this
Festival. Mr Ram Narayan Reddy described the films chosen
for the Festival as celluloid masterpieces and paid homage
to Nehru who had had the vision to realize that the future
lay in the hands of the younger generation. He wanted filmmakers
to focus on children’s issues through their films. While
appreciating the motivation behind the festival, Mr Dasari
Narayan Rao who has himself directed as many as 148 films
felt that there was need to involve more filmmakers from the
southern part of the country in children’s films and
in the management of the CFSI
 Emphasising
that he was speaking as a veteran filmmaker and not a Central
Minister, he also felt that funds made available for the Film
Complex had remained unutilized. The cultural programme concluded
with two more dances, one of them to the popular ‘Chak
De India’ which had the audience in raptures. The evening
concluded with the screening of the closing film ‘Khan
Kluay’ which is the first animated film from Thailand
and has been directed by Kompin Khemkamnerd.
OOPS!
The film “Winky’s Horse” directed
by Mischakamp (Holland, 2005/90 mins) will be shown as a Special
Screening in place of the film “Red Robin” (Iran)
at IMAX Screen 1 at 5.00 p.m. today. “Peter Bell I”
directed by Maria Peter (Holland, 2003/ 105 mins) will be
shown as a Special Screening in place of “Red Robin”
at the Sri Ranga Theatre in Miyapur at 09.00 a.m. tomorrow
morning. |
which has witnessed this Festival for the seventh time in
a row could be seen clapping or tapping their feet to the
music. But apart from the programme, the first thing that
struck Gajju was the grandeur of the decked up stage, with
the Golden Elephant in a large balloon floating over the stage
and another painting of the Elephant on the wall behind the
stage. Clearly, Gajju’s young friends had really worked
hard to create a colourful ambience with a large number of
balloons tied in a single cord signifying unity and gaily
coloured décor. But perhaps the most prominent was
a large portrait of Chacha Nehru, whose 119th birth anniversary
was being marked as Children’s Day, since it was he
who first thought of setting up the Children’s Film
Society, India.
