International Children’s Film Festival of India: The winners of are...

A Horse on the Balcony

This Austrian film instantly captures children’s attention with the one thing that works the best with them — animals. The protagonist suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome and as expected, has trouble making friends. But that’s only until Dana comes along. What follows next is a tale of amazing friendship that grows over the task of keeping a horse found in the balcony, one winter night.

Zarafa

Another movie that pulls on the heart strings with an animal character. Based on an actual historical event when an Egyptian king gifted a giraffe to the king of France for his personal zoo, the film does not shy away portraying colonialism, slavery and racism. Despite the seriousness of the topics, the movie never gets too dark for children. The selection panel believes that the film is easily accessible to children and likely to have an impact on overthrowing stereotypes.

Gopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya

A CFSI production, Gopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya by Shilpa Ranade is an Indian animated film that celebrates our cultural variety and identifies the country’s chaos. Stepping away from the typical Disney films, this is an out-and-out Indian story. A hilarious take on the journey of two friends, with musical compositions that enthrall the audiences, this one definitely grabbed everyone’s attention. The movie is based on Satyajit Ray’s Gopy Gyne Bagha Byne.

Fandry

Made by National Award-winner Nagraj Manjule, Fandry has already created ripples at the Mumbai Film Festival. The protagonist Jabya and his love interest Shalu reflect a sense of purity that could only be brought by the intentionally cast “non-actors”. The movie has also travelled to BFI London Film Festival, where it was received well for the way it dealt with the subject of Dalits. The story itself isn’t too complex and revolves around young Jabya, who belongs to a lower caste, falling in love with his classmate from a higher caste.

Kaphal

Kaphal is a story of two children who join forces with a “witch” in a bid to make their fathers disappear. The movie follows the journey of the two siblings against the scenic backdrop of Uttarakhand. Interestingly, the lead actors of the film belong to a remote area in Uttarakhand and had never been to a theatre before the first screening of the film in Mumbai. Written and directed by Batul Mukhtiar, the film beautifully captures the need of family in the lives of children.