THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As far as films are concerned, language is no barrier. The foreign films screened at the International Children's Film festival of Kerala (ICFFK) have proved to be a big hit among the young film enthusiasts. In the week-long film festival, around 160 films are being screened, out of which more than 20 are international films.
Foreign films include all-time classics such as 'The Lion King' directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 'The Kid' directed by Charles Chaplin, 'Laurel and Hardy Package' and also international short films like 'We are Family' and 'Even more Animation for Kids'. International films such as 'Power to the Children' directed by Anna Kersting have been well-received by the children at the festival and have had multiple screenings. Films from Germany, China, Spain were also much appreciated by the delegates.
"Foreign films help us understand other cultures whilst being simultaneously informative. They are also entertaining. We saw 'The Bogeyman' which is an Indian classic but we couldn't enjoy it much. Out of all the genres, we enjoyed international films most, " said Kashinathan S D, a Class VI student of Christ Nagar. He added that it was his first time at the fest and would attend the entire event.
Thrissur-based Karthika M said, "Film festivals provide us an opportunity to watch foreign films which have unique themes. Foreign films have almost perfect visuals, in comparison to Indian films."
Indian films like 'Chuskit' which portrays the life of a girl child and her struggles were received well by film enthusiasts.
Despite language barriers, 'Kauwboy', a Dutch film directed by Boudewijn Koole attracted a large crowd to the theatres. " Films like these should be screened in festivals. Animation movies loaded with themes are more intriguing, " said Niranjana, a Class IX student.
However, there were few who felt the foreign films screened during the first edition were better. "I participated in the first edition of the International Children's film festival of Kerala which featured some of the best foreign films. It wasn't the same this season. The themes weren't satisfactory," said Virat Krishnan, a Class XII student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom.
'Guppy' star Chethan Jayalal enthralls the audience
Children who arrived for the screenings at Kairali, Nila and Sree theatres were thrilled to see Chethan, the child artist of the film 'Guppy' who arrived for the 'Meet the Artist' session.
Chethan shared his experiences of films and as a child actor how he was able to explore the world of cinema. "Films are the best medium to learn something new and interesting," said Chethan. Before leaving the venue, the child artist gave a dance performance. Tovino Thomas was also a speaker in a session held at Tagore theatre.