Children's film fest begins

GUWAHATI: The Children Film Fest, 2012 organized by the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) kicked off in the city's Rabindra Bhawan on Monday. The two-day fest was organized in collaboration with the directorate of Cultural Affairs, Assam and in association with Guwahati Cine Club.
About 1,000 children thronged Rabindra Bhawan premises on Monday morning to watch the inaugural film of the festival-Halo, which is directed by eminent filmmaker Santosh Sivan.The movie is about a seven year old girl's quest for her lost puppy 'Halo' through the streets of Bombay. Iranian film, Hayat (Life) also received a good response from the viewers on the opening day of the fest.
The International Children's Film Festival of India (ICFFI) known to showcase national and international children's movies may be held in Guwahati next year. Sushovan Banerjee, CEO of CFSI, a government body constituted to nurture a dynamic children's film culture in the country said chief minister Tarun Gogoi had assured to develop the infrastructure needed to host the International Children's Film Festival of India in Guwahati by this year.
"If all goes well, we will organize the International Children's Film Festival of India in Guwahati in 2013. We wanted to organize the festival in Guwahati last year itself, but could not due to lack of necessary infrastructure. We sought chief minister Tarun Gogoi's help and he promised to provide assistance," Banerjee said after inaugurating the festival.
Banerjee said though India produces a very small number of children films, there is no dearth of children's film lovers in the country. "Other countries have produced a sufficient number of children films, which cater to the needs of the viewers," he added.
The second day of the Children Film Fest will showcase movies like Karamati Coat, directed by Ajay Kartik, Lilkee, directed by Batul Mukhtiar, Kabhi Pass Kabhi Fail, directed by Virendra Saini and Chhutkan Ki Mahabharat, directed by Sankalp Meshram.