Day one of the 19th International Children’s Film Festival was as boisterous and noisy as you’d expect a theatre full of kids to be, but when it mattered — during the film screenings — the kids were every bit attentive as they would be in class. Featuring 1,204 short and feature length films being screened across 13 venues in the city, the film festival has delegates from around India and the world, with both students and filmmakers seen enjoying the movies.
“Every movie has some theme or moral over here, so that’s a very good thing,” says Meera Mahajan, a teacher and Lead Escort with the 10-student-strong Kendriya Vidyalaya, Jammu contingent, “Because this way we can watch these movies and share the experiences back home in Jammu.”
Sarlongki Tisso, Class X student from NPS International School, Guwahati, also spoke about the ‘message’ in the films — “We watched two movies, The Golden Horse and Marie’s Story. The first one was an inspiring movie, it told us that we should not give up even if you fail.” And while messages are what make children’s films appealing, filmmakers at the festival say that the problem isn’t simplifying the message for kids. “The world is a complex place, so I don’t think it’s very good to make the film’s message simple,” says veteran Portugese director Nuno Amorim.
“Mainstream films are full of clichés and it’s important for children’s films to make them think.” Spanish filmmaker Carlos Quesada agrees and adds, “If the films have more messages, everyone can take away something from it.” The actual making of the film itself, says Russian filmmaker Anna Anotonova, is another challenge that filmmakers face while working in this vertical of the film industry. “I like to work with kids who aren’t professional. I create a fairy tale or a world for them, so it’s almost magical for them to see the sets. I don’t exactly tell them what to do. They need to be more natural, and not be forced to act,” the 27-year-old New York resident says.
Rhea Sharma, a 16-year-old student filmmaker from Chandigarh whose film will be screened at the festival, adds that fests such as these boost their confidence. “It inspires us and even though I’m in Class XI, I see six-year-olds coming up with films. One of our team members, too, is eight and her film got selected as well.” Whether for the people behind the camera or watching the films, Nuno says that kids movies are a huge deal, and need to be treated as such. “It’s a very big responsibility, what
we put in to films... it’s also dangerous.”
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