Thursday, November 14, 2013

Raju Hirani’s son debuts as a director at ‘The Golden Elephant’ at Hyderabad

Here’s another star kid on the block who is making his debut at the 18th International Children’s Film Festival India and is following his father’s footsteps. Raju Hirani’s son Vir has directed a movie titled ‘Return Gift’ under the Little Directors category, which will be screened at ‘The Golden Elephant’ this year.
The film is said to be inspired by a true story narrated to Veer by his grandmother. ‘Return Gift’ is a four minute movie and proud papa Raju Hirani has already made arrangements to be in Hyderabad at the screening of his son’s directorial debut.



The Little Directors is an In-Competition section featuring films made by children between from the age group of 6-16. There are eleven other films that are competing in the same category for the reputable ‘Golden Elephant’ award.  "We are happy to have Vir Hirani participate and compete in the festival. It is a proud moment for us” added Amole Gupte, the Chairman of Children's Film Society of India.

Children are the toughest audience & best critics: Ranbir

At a the press conference for The 18th International Children’s Film Festival India in Hyderabad, Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor stated that children are the toughest to please as an audience and they are the best critics too.


Meanwhile veteran Bollywood lyricist-director Gulzar’s said “It revolves a lot around children and I also play an 18-year-old in the film,” He also stressed that concerns of children need to be addressed in a better way than how they are being done now.
“There are gaps and we need to fill them with positive entertainment. As far as such festivals go, they also have to be taken to different locations to spread their reach across the length and breadth of the country,” he added.

The ace director also mentioned that he has experienced his best moments working with children during the making of films such as Parichay and Masoom.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The three movies at ‘The Golden Elephant’ you should look out for!

It’s Childrens Day tomorrow and also ‘the big day’ when ‘The Golden Elephant’ kickstarts in Hyderabad. The week long children’s film festival will attract over 1,50,000 children and numerous film professionals across the globe. The event will have various National and International children’s cinema across various genres screened throughout its span.

 Here are the three movies from ‘The Golden Elephant’ which are definitely not worth missing-

1)      Adventures in Zambezia (3D)
An adventurous journey of a young falcon who leaves his desolate desert to the famous bird city of Zambezia
2)      Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha)
A story of two musicians Goopy and Bagha who are banished by the kings of their respective kingdoms for bad quality of their music and how they together dispel evil magic through their music
3)      Kauwboy
A movie that beautifully unravels the story of a 10 year old Jojo who finds solace in a baby jackdaw and how this friendship mends ties between him and his father


Arrangements in full swing for ICFFI: Minister

D K Aruna, Minister for state information and cinematography, Andhra Pradesh has stated that arrangements for the upcoming ICFFI festival is on full swing.
The 18th International Children's Film Festival of India (ICFFI) is a 7-day film festival starting from the 14th of November to the 20th of November 2013.

The first ICFFI event was held in the year 1995 in Hyderabad and has since become the permanent venue for the biennial event. The event has been seen as an effort by the Government to encourage children’s cinema.
The minister has also stated that around five child delegates belonging to various districts of the state have been invited to attend the festival.
This year, one of the main highlights of the festival is that 3D movies would be showcased for the first time during the 7-day long festival.

An estimated two hundred films from 48 different countries will be screened across 10 theatres in the city as a part of the festival.

Centre to set guidelines protecting rights of child artists in ‘The Golden Elephant’

Union I&B Secretary Bimal Julka hints at the centre coming up with certain guidelines with a view to safeguard rights of child artists. 

"We will soon evolve guidelines on which the film industry needs to operate vis-a-vis child artistes. The guidelines will cover the process (of film making) and the content (of films). We will deliberate on the rights of child artistes at the International Children's Film Festival of India
 (ICFFI) beginning in Hyderabad on November 14," Julka stated during a recent press conference.


She also stressed that this innovative concept will be used to set certain guidelines keeping in mind the conditions and situations that child artists are subjected to while shooting.


"They shoot for 6-7 hours a day. What are the conditions they shoot in...What is the content of the film... Whether it is suitable for the children...We will deliberate on all such issues," Julka said. 

Two movies by NIDians to be screened at ‘The Golden Elephant’

‘The Golden Elephant’ will showcase two movies by NID graduates this year at the 18th International Children’s Film Festival India to be held in Hyderabad starting from the 14th of November to the 2oth of November.



NID's student Anoop Sathyan's documentary named  'A Dream Called America' and an independent short fiction by alumnus, Ridham Janve's titled 'Kanche Aur Postcard’ (Marbles and Postcards) are among the various movies to be screened during the 7 day festival. ‘The Golden Elephant’ will attract an estimated one lakh children and over 100 film professionals from across the globe, screening over 200 films from 48 countries. It is held in Hyderabad once in every two years. The festival aims at bringing the best of National and International children’s cinema under one roof and making it accessible to the young Indian audiences.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Pakistani author and peace activist, Fauzia Minallah, one of the jury members at ‘The Golden Elephant’!

An 18-member jury comprising of various film personalities from across the globe will judge films in different categories in the 18th International Children's Film Festival, India which will be held in Hyderabad from 14th of November. Fauzia Minallah- an artist, author and a peace activist from Pakistan is among the jury for the 7-day film festival. 


Fauzia’s has been actively involved in tackling issues of heritage, conservation, environment and other social issues. She encourages peace, tolerance and justice through her literary works for children. She uses various art and reading workshops to help ‘children in crisis’ and blends animation with her work for children, thus bringing out political satire effectively. According to the Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI), she has won various National and International awards for her outstanding contribution to children literature and animations.

City of Nawabs all set to welcome ‘The Golden Elephant’!

The International Children's Film Festival (ICFFI) or ‘The Golden Elephant', as it is popularly known , is taking place in the city of Nawabs- Hyderabad from the 14th to the 20th of November, 2013. This 7-day film festival is held in Hyderabad once every two years by the Children's Film Society India (CFSI). The CFSI is a self-governing body under the Ministry Of Information And Broadcasting working in tandem with the Andhra Pradesh Government.


‘The Golden Elephant’ aims at bringing some of the finest National and International children’s movies all under one roof for the young audiences in India. The festival comprises of an 18-member jury who will judge movies across various categories at a global level. The 18th International Film Festival will be attended by more than one lakh children and hundreds of film professionals from across the world.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Poster of children’s film festival launched

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari Thursday unveiled the poster of the 18th International Children’s Film Festival India (ICFFI), popularly known as The Golden Elephant, starting Nov 14 in Hyderabad. Smiling faces of children, pop corn, glasses, remote and more have been used to design the poster and Shravan Kumar, CEO of Children’s Film Society India (CFSI), said it is designed to put focus on children. “By making this design, we have endeavoured to bring children into focus through the festival. We want to celebrate childhood through films, which is the most powerful medium right now across the world,” Kumar told IANS. “So we had the minister unveiling the poster. We also have support from the industry now from mainstream actors like Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor,” he added. The festival is being organised by the union information and broadcasting ministry, CFSI and the Andhra Pradesh state government. Ranbir will attend the opening ceremony, while Salman will lend his support through an audio-visual presentation, in which he will talk about his fondness for children’s films. The seven-day festival will screen as many as 200 films from 48 countries including Chile, Cuba, and Tunisia. “The festival will be fun and entertaining rather than focusing on a particular issue,” said Kumar.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/poster-of-childrens-film-festival-launched-1217727.html?utm_source=fwire&utm_medium=hp

Darsheel, Saloni to host Children’s film fest


“Taare Zameen Par” fame actor Darsheel Safary and child comedian Saloni Daini will host the 18th edition of the International Children’s Film Festival (ICFF), starting Nov 14 in the Andhra Pradesh capital. Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor will inaugurate the fest. “We decided to have children as hosts for the festival to highlight that they don’t have boundaries today. If they can act in films at such a young age, they can host a festival too. These children are stars among children and, therefore, it made sense to have them host the event,” Shravan Kumar, festival director and CEO, Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI), told IANS. While Ranbir will be present during the opening ceremony, Salman Khan will lend his support through an audio-visual presentation. “In the recent past, Salman and Ranbir were associated with the children’s film ‘Chillar Party’, which was a hit among younger audiences. So we decided to have these actors associated with our festival to create awareness,” he added. “Chillar Party” was screened at an earlier festival. This year, 200 films from 48 countries will be screened at ICFF, which will be staged in Hyderabad for the ninth time since its inception. Some of the films to be screened at the fest are Japanese drama “7 Days of Himmawari and her Puppies”, Iran’s “Good Fellows” and Denmark’s “The Great Bird Chase”. Indian films such as “Fandry”, “The Fire Flies” and “Wild Berries” will also be screened across 13 theatres in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Four competition sections namely International Competition, International Competition Animation, Competition Shorts and Competition Little Director have been included in the festival. Bollywood filmmaker Amol Gupte, chairman CFSI, will interact with the audience at the fest.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/darsheel-saloni-to-host-childrens-film-fest-1217987.html?utm_source=fwire&utm_medium=hp

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Ranbir Kapoor and Gulzar likely to attend ICFFI

Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor and veteran filmmaker Gulzar are likely to attend the inaugural ceremony of the 18th International Children's Film Festival of India (ICFFI) to be held in Hyderabad from November 14-20.

"It was felt that the association of Ranbir Kapoor would help a great deal in promoting the festival as he is quite popular among the younger audience," a senior Information and Broadcasting Ministry official said here.

"On the other hand, the association of Gulzar is invaluable. Some of his important work has been quite popular with the children," the official said.

The two special guests are expected to be present at Lalitha Kala Thoranam, Public Garden in Hyderabad for the opening ceremony, the official added.

The I&B ministry has also chalked out a detailed plan to promote the festival on social media platforms like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook.

"The I&B is keen to ensure that the festival is extensively on all the social media platforms which include Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and the official blog. A separate ICFFI playlist will be created on Youtube, which will be integrated with all other platforms," the official said.

About 200 high quality films from 48 countries have been selected for the festival out of 894 entries, and will be screened across 10 screens in Hyderabad.

There would be 30 shows every day and a participation of 1,50,000 children is expected, the official said adding that special arrangements have also been made for specially-abled children in one of the theatres.

A combination of cultural programmes and screening of films is expected to be the highlight of both the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival.

Gopi Gawaiyya Bagha Baiyaya, a recently produced film of Children's Film Society of India (CFSI), will be screened during the opening ceremony.

The schedule for screening of award-winning films, information about award winners, festival posters and hoarding themes will be shared and spread through various social media platforms.

Special interview packages of the celebrities and award winners will also be uploaded and shared on all the platforms, officials said.

The 18th ICFFI is a collaborative effort between CFSI, the Andhra Pradesh Government and the I&B ministry.

18th International Children’s Film Festival India receives overwhelming response

The 18th International Children’s Film Festival India (ICFFI), spearheaded by actor-director Amole Gupte, has received a tremendous response by filmmakers.

Gupte, who is also Chairman of the Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI), said in a statement, “We aim to make the festival bigger and better than ever before.”We have got over 845 entries from more than 70 countries, including new entrants like Austria, Chile, Cuba, Lebanon and Ghana.”

Interestingly, some of the filmmakers eager to participate in the fest are children. Gupte added, “The number of entries for the section ‘Little Directors’, which will feature films made by children, is over 100.”

The fest, popular as The Golden Elephant, will be held in Hyderabad from November 14-20, 2013. The opening and closing ceremonies will be hosted at the Lalitha Kala Thoranam and the films will be screened at Prasad IMAX Multiplex and seven other theatres.

Highlights of the 18th International Children’s Film Festival India (The Golden Elephant):

- The Golden Elephant this year has four competitive sections. The winner of Best Feature Film will not only win the Golden Elephant trophy but also a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh. The Second Best Feature Film will win the Golden Elephant Plaque and Rs 1 lakh cash.

- There will be a special focus on films with ‘Children with Special Needs’ and filmmakers will interact with activists, educators and parents in the Open Forum. “There will be a special performance by 12 children with special needs along with Dr Pasha, who is physically challenged. They will do an act on ‘Discovery of India’ at the inaugural ceremony of the 18th ICFFI,” said Dr Shravan Kumar, Festival Director and CEO, CFSI.

- Cine-Kid, Amsterdam, the world’s most popular children’s film market, will hold a masterclass on how to market Indian children’s films internationally.

- The best of Czech children’s and animation cinema will be screened in the Country Focus section in collaboration with the Zlin Film Festival – the oldest children’s film festival in the world.

- The fest will screen a selection of award-winning films featured in the 20 most prestigious international children’s film festivals.

- Several films have been sourced from the prestigious Cannes Film Market and will have their World/ Asian premieres at the ICFFI.

- ICFFI has received 26 films from South America, a first.

- The fest has received 255 animation films from around the world.

So plan your dates and head to Hyderabad this November for the children’s film fest!

Children’s Film Festival of India to Introduce New Category

Two Indian animation films, “Goopi Gawaiiya Bagha Bajaiiya” and “Arjun,” will feature in the International Animation Competition category at the 18th edition of the International Children’s Film Festival India (ICFFI), to be held in Hyderabad Nov. 14 to 20.
“Goopi Gawaiiya Bagha Bajaiiya” is directed by Shilpa Ranade, associated professor of the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) and Indian Institute of Technology, while “Arjun” is directed by Arnab Chawdhury and produced by UTV.
The festival will have a new category, Competition International Animation, in the competition section. The Animation category will showcase the best animated children’s films from all around the globe.
There are 12 feature films competing in this newly introduced segment, including the animated musical “Goopi Gawaiiya Bagha Bajaiiya,” an adaptation of Bengali writer Upendra Kishore Raychowdhuri’s “Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne,” which will also be the inaugural film of the festival.
Raychowdhuri’s comic fantasy was most famously adapted for the screen in 1969 by his renowned grandson, Satyajit Ray, as a feature film.
The competition section consists of three other categories including Competition International Live Action, Competition Shorts and Competition Little Directors where national and international films will compete against each other for the prestigious Golden Elephant trophies.
“Out of 900 films received from over 75 countries, we will be screening 200 films sourced from more than 45 countries. Receiving such a large number of animated feature films from all around the globe with magnificent animation quality, the festival authorities wanted to do justice to the animation features by dedicating an exclusive competition section at the festival,” said Dr. Shravan Kumar, festival director and CFSI CEO. 
The ICFFI, also popularly known as The Golden Elephant, is a biennial festival that strives to bring the most delightful and imaginative national and international children’s cinema to young audiences in India.
Features, shorts, live action and animation films are screened over seven days of festive celebrations, attended by more than one hundred thousand children and hundreds of film professionals from across the world.
ICFFI is organized by the CFSI, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Every two years, the festival begins Nov. 14, the birth date of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.