Hyderabad not to host this year’s International children’s film festival

Hyderabad: Heavy rains and impending municipal elections have been quoted as the reasons for not holding the 21st International Children’s Film Festival in Hyderabad this year. The ICFF is organised on the eve of Children's Day on November 14.

The Telangana State Film Development Corporation Ltd. issued a letter on October 30 stating their inability to hold the festival.

The film festival is a biennial event and has been held in Hyderabad since 1995. After the formation of Telangana state, it was held in 2015 and 2017.

Around 2.75 lakh children participated in 2017. Central government officials who have been working on the project in Hyderabad say they have already got 100 film nominations, and that the state government was aware that the festival was to be organised in Hyderabad.

The film division unit in Mumbai, which is also co-ordinating the festival, stated that the state government cancelled the event at the last minute.

“We have nowhere to go now,” stated the officials.

Achyuta Rao, president of Balala Hakkula Sangham, a child rights NGO, said, “Why is the government giving Hyderabad a bad name? Why is an event, that is regularly organised here, not being organised? Why are we not cashing in on this opportunity?

The funding is by the central government, and not the state, and it is wrong that at the last minute they are saying no.”

The organisers are in a dilemma as they do not know to which city they can take the festival.

Ram Mohan Rao, chairman of the Film Development Corporation said, “We got an indication from the central government at the last minute. The delay did not allow us to prepare to hold the festival in the city on time.”