THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The International Children's Film Festival of Kerala (ICFFK) opened to an enormous response. Children across the state armed with festival bags were seen flipping through the festival booklets spoilt for choice at the wide array of movies. With an extra ounce of excitement and enthusiasm, the second edition of the ICFFK opened to a full house on Friday. A total of 16 films were screened on the first day.
A visual treat for movie buffs
While some kids were accompanied by their friends, most were accompanied by their parents who are movie buffs themselves. From inspiring films such as 'Chuskit' by Priya Ramasubbam to classics such as 'Grave of the Fireflies' conveying strong messages of the World War II victims in Japan, the festival introduced children to different genres of films.
"This is my second time at the festival. The first edition was mostly fun and entertainment but the films this time are inspiring and focus on real-life stories," said Karthik J S, a differently-abled child from Kallar. Talking about the film 'Chuskit', he said, " I was very inspired by the film as it talks about the life of a paraplegic girl in the Himalayas which I can relate to. Every film is different this time and I plan to attend the film festival till the end."
The fete also witnessed the participation of parents who accompanied their children. “ICFFK is a very interesting thought by the government which features films that are not only entertaining but also informative. I have decided to watch foreign-language films too," said Deepa Mukesh, a parent from Thycaud.
ICFFK pulls crowds
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was the chief patron for the event. Culture minister, A K Balan was the chief guest and Minister for Health, Social Justice and Women and Child Development, K K Shailaja presided over the function. The event is being organised by Kerala State Council for Child Welfare in association with the Kerala State Film Development Corporation and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
"Like the first edition of ICFFK, this edition too has garnered a good response from children and more than 5,000 have registered," said Deepak S P, general convenor. The week-long fete will feature 160 films screened under the sections- Best of Indian Children's Films, Classics, Malayalam Feature Films, Malayalam Short Films and the Directors in Focus.
'Uyare' starring Parvathy was screened as the inaugural film to create awareness for people will be more empathetic towards acid attack survivors and treat them like others. The title song of ICFFK was sung by singer Jayalakshmi and was directed by R S Vimal.
Week-long festival highlights
The fest is being held in six venues such as Kalabhavan, Sree, Kairali, Nila, Tagore theatres and Nishagandhi auditorium. The fest will focus on children from tribal communities and child care institutions who will be provided with food and accommodation till the festival ends. There will be an open forum for children where famous personalities from the film industry will introduce them to the basics of filmmaking. Children are given an opportunity to produce a film screened on the last day. Short film competitions will be conducted and the winner will be decided by a jury consisting of children. There will be a film screening for the public at Tagore theatre on the last day. Mollywood stars Tovino Thomas and Parvathy will attend the festival.