More than 140 films, documentaries and short films are set to be screened as part of the first edition of International Children’s Film Festival of Kerala to be held in Thiruvananthapuram from May 14 to 26. Screenings at the festival, being organised by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Kerala State Film Development Corporation, and the State Institute of Children’s Literature, will be held at Tagore Theatre, Kairali, Nila, Sree and Kalabhavan theatres.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, M. Mukesh, MLA, chairman of the organising committee, said the festival would provide a great opportunity to the children to be introduced to world-class cinema.
A first
“This is the first such initiative on the part of the government. It comes at a time when Malayalam cinema is the centre of attention at the national level, having hogged the limelight at the National Film Awards. Our plan is to make this festival an annual affair from next year. About 800 children from the tribal regions and around 500 children from orphanages will also be given the facilities to stay here and watch the week-long festival,” said Mr. Mukesh.
One parent
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the festival at 12 noon on May 15. A total of 3,500 passes are available for children in the online registration portal www.icffk.com. Around 2,000 registrations have already been done, said the organisers. One parent can accompany the young delegates at the festival. The delegate fee is ₹150. For more information, contact – 0471- 2334955.
At Tagore Theatre, the main venue of the festival, there will be cultural programmes in which youth festival winners, students from the tribal regions and others will participate. An exhibition for children will also be part of the festival. The exhibition will be open to the public.
