Come November 14 and the city will be teaming with children from across the state and country as the 18th International Children’s Film Festival-2013 kicks off. Scheduled from November 14 to 20 in the city, as many as 196 films from across the world have been selected to be screened at the festival of the 894 entries, as per the Information Minister, D K Aruna.
These films have been divided under two categories – competition and non-competition category, 53 of which fall under the former while 143 films fall under the latter, all of which have been received from 72 countries. The city will host 400 child delegates and 150 adult delegates as apart of the festival.
The School Education Department will be sending five children from each district as 'Child Delegates' at the main festival venue. School children from Hyderabad and the Ranga Reddy districts are being invited to come watch the films being screened. Nearly 40 buses will be hired from RTC for transportation of school children to venues and theatres.
Prasad's IMAX theatre will serve as the main venue for the festival, which for the first time will be screening 3D films as well. Other cinema halls like Shivani at Kothapet, Raghavendra at Malkajgiri, Ranga at Jeedimetla, Hitech at Madhapur, Eswar at Athapur, Sudha at Shah-ali-Banda and Prashanth at Secunderabad will be the other venues. The Indira Priya Darshini and Lalitha Kala Thoranam will also be a part of the festival. Films which were produced after 2011, including short films and feature films, were eligible for competition. Awards will be given in three categories - competition live action, animation feature and little directors. Under the Golden Elephant trophy, which carries a prize of Rs 2 lakh, 12 prizes will be given. Under the Silver Elephant Trophy, which is worth Rs 1 lakh prize money, six prizes will be given.
A help desk is being set up for assistance at the airport, railway stations and bus stations. Medical teams will be on call at the main venue and accommodation points while emergency kits will be available at cinema theatres.
Volunteers and escorts are being provided to the delegates and school children from National Green Corps and Women and Child Welfare Department. A two-day orientation programme will be conducted for the volunteers.
Cultural programmes will also be performed from November 15 to 19 at Lalitha Kala Thoranam. Seminars and workshops will be conducted for the children by a side-events committee from November 15 to 19 at Jawahar Bal Bhavan. Workshops will be conducted on film making, animation, script writing and film appreciation. One or two child prodigies will be invited and felicitated on a daily basis. A souvenir is being brought out in Telugu with the details of films.
Child delegates, international delegates and the jury are being hosted at The Park hotel while adult delegates and officials will be put up at the APTDC Hotel Haritha.
The inaugural and closing ceremony will be held at the Lalitha Kala Thoranam in Public Gardens. The government has already sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for necessary repairs to dais, screen and other works at Lalitha Kala Thoranam.