"This edition of the festival boasts of many firsts, including films from Africa and South America; a 'Country Focus' section for which we have collaborated with the Chinese Children's Film Association to get the best of their children's cinema."
Dear Children and Lovers of Children's Cinema,
Welcome to the 17th edition of International Children's Film Festival India!
The Golden Elephant is back with the most delightful and imaginative films from around the world. Cinema that cultivates an understanding of other cultures and experiences and is also a lot of fun.
This edition of the festival boasts of many firsts, including films from Africa and South America; a 'Country Focus' section for which we have collaborated with the Chinese Children's Film Association to get the best of their children's cinema; 'Shorts Competition' section for short films and finally a unique section called the 'Little Directors' where children will show us what they see through their lens. The 'Children's World' section will showcase never seen before award winning films from the last decade while the 'India Competition' will feature some of India's best recent films. Another first is the introduction of age-wise programming to enable children to watch only those films that are most engaging and appropriate for their age group.
To make the festival a more holistic experience, we have workshops for children and open forums where film-makers, writers, educators, parents and children themselves will discuss issues around children's content that otherwise remain at the periphery. ICCFI, to broaden the platform for business in children's content has associated with the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for a 2-day summit, where exchange of ideas and content will take place.
Most importantly this will be a lifetime opportunity for many of the 150,000 children who will travel all the way from their villages and towns to participate in this carnival. But we have tried to make this experience richer and more meaningful for each one of you.
I would like to thank the entire CFSI team for their tireless efforts, the many friends of CFSI who have given their time and expertise and most of all our partners, the Government of Andhra Pradesh for ensuring that this festival becomes a memorable experience for all! But most importantly, it is your involvement, encouragement and enthusiasm that will make this festival special.
Warm regards,
Nandita Das
Chairperson CFSI