The International Children’s Film Festival India (ICFFI) will be back this year in November and is being held in city. Popularly known as the Golden Elephant, the festival will have a special focus on the children with special needs.
“There will be a special performance by 12 children with special needs along with Dr Pasha, who is physically challenged at the Lalitha Kala Thoranam in Hyderabad. They will do an act on ‘Discovery of India’ at the inaugural ceremony of the 18th ICFFI,” shares Dr Shravan Kumar, festival director and CEO, CFSI.
“We will have special screen dedicated to children with special needs to view the films and will be making provisions like ramps to make it easier for them to move around at the other venues as well,” informs Dr Kumar.
ICFFI will also have an open forum to hold discussions on issues faced by children with disabilities helmed by prominent theatre and film personalities.
“Every child is special - this has been my motto for life. And therefore, when it’s about coming up with a section for special needs at the 18th Golden Elephant (ICFFI), I feel mighty proud because I firmly believe that all children are equal,” says filmmaker and chairman, CFSI Amole Gupte.
Set to take place between November 14 and 20, the festival promises to be the biggest ever, screening 175 movies from 45 countries around the world. Over 1, 50,000 children are expected to attend and participate in the festival.