The 15th International Children's Film Festival

Hyderabad is hosting the 15th edition of the International Children's Film Festival, from 14th to 20th November. Around 125 films will be screened in four categories - 41 films in International Competition, 19 films in Asian Panorama, 38 films in Children's World, and 27 films in Special Screenings.

There will be workshops and special events for children during the week-long festival. The screenings will be held at the Indira Priyadarshani auditorium, Lalithakala Thoranam, Harihara Kala Bhavan, Prasads Multiplex, Sudha Cinema in Shalibanda, Raghavendra Cinema in Malkajgiri, Rajdhani Cinema in Dilsukhnagar and Sai Ranga Cinema in Miyapur.

The entry is free for everyone at Indira Priyadarshani auditorium, Lalitha Kala Thoranam and Harihara Kala Bhavan, while the screenings at Sudha, Raghavendra, Rajdhani and Sai Ranga are for school children only. Screenings exclusively for delegates and the press will be at the Prasads Multiplex. The details of free screenings are as follows:

Lalithakala Thoranam

14th November
6:00pm - Opening ceremony and screening of inaugural film Khan Kluey, and a Thai animation film Komplin Kemgumnird

15th November
6:00pm - Amulyam, an Indian film by Akkineni Kutumba Rao, followed by Chances, an Irish animation film by Lorcan Finnegan

16th November
6:00pm - Halo, an Indian film by Santosh Sivan

17th November
6:00pm - Iqbal, an Indian film by Nagesh Kukunoor

18th November
6:00pm - The Blue Umbrella, an Indian film by Vishal Bharadwaj

19th November
6:00pm - Hanuman, an Indian film by V G Samant

20th November
6:00pm - Closing ceremony, followed by screening of award winning film

Indira Priyadarshini Auditorium

14th November
9:00am - Finding Friends, a Norway film by Arnee Lindtner
11:00am - Fimfarum, a Czech animation film by V Pospisilova, J Balej and A Klimt

15th November
9:00am - Standing Alone, an Iranian film by Golm-Reza Ramezani
11:00am - Red Robin, an Iranian film by Parviz Sheikhtadi
3:00pm - Donkey Ollie, a US animation film by Brian Doug Aberie

16th November
9:00am - Mahek Mirza, an Indian film by Kranti Kanade
11:00am - Agi And Emma, a Serbian film by Milutin Petrovic
3:00pm - Maharal, a Czech film by Pavel Jandourek

17th November
9:00am - Finding Friends, a Norway film by Arne Lindtner
11:00am - Fimfarum, a Czech animation film by V Pospisilova, J Balej and A Klimt
3:00pm - Standing Alone, an Iranian film by Golm-Reza Ramezani

18th November
9:00am - Red Robin, an Iranian film by Parviz Sheikhtadi
11:00am - Donkey Ollie, a US animation film by Brian Doug Aberie
3:00pm - Mahek Mirza, an Indian film by Kranti Kanade

19th November
9:00am - Agi And Emma, a Serbian film by Milutin Petrovic
11:00am - Maharal, a Czech film by Pavel Jandourek

Harihara Kala Bhavan

14th November
9:00am - The Blue Umbrella, an Indian film by Vishal Bharadwaj
11:00am - Care of Footpath, an Indian film by Kishan

15th November
9:00am - Chittigaadi Mahabharatam, an Indian film by Sankalp
11:00am - The Redness Of Unripe Apple, an Iranian film by Mohammad Ali Talebi
3:00pm - Khan Kluey, a Thai animation film Komplin Kemgumnird

16th November
9:00am - Aarguru Allari Mooka, an Indian film by Sridhar Rangayan
11:00am - Lovestory, a Russian animation film by Konstantin Bronzit. Tomcat, a German animation film by Tine Kluth. Mischiefs II, a Latvian animation film by Janis Cimermanis. Gummy Chase, a Belgian animation film by Eric Blesin. Looking For X-Mas Land?, a Danish animation film by Svend Johansen. LIA, a German film by Judith Malek-Mahdavi
3:00pm - Iqbal, an Indian film by Nagesh Kukunoor

18th November
9:00am - A Girl Thirteen, a Chinese film by Chen Miao
11:00am - Amulyam, an Indian film by Akkineni Kutumba Rao. Changes, an Irish animation film by Lorcan Finnegan.
3:00pm - Red Robin, an Iranian film by Parviz Sheikhtadi. Mr Jones: The Pyramid, a Norway animation film by Oystein Stene. Good Girl, a Norway animation film by Astrid Aakra.

19th November
9:00am - The Journey, an Indian film by B Ajit Naag
11:00am - Looka Chuppi, an Indian film by Vinod Ganatra
3:00pm - The Head In The Stars, a French animation film by Sylvain Vincendeau. Mahek Mirza, an Indian film by Kranti Kanade. Horn OK Please, a US animation film by Joel Simon. The Sprout, an Iranian animation film by Farkhondeh Torabi.

20th November
9:00am - Manpasand, an Indian animation film by Dhvani Desai. Nandu Ka Raja, an Indian film by Shaleen Sharma.
11:00am - Chinnari Pantulama, an Indian film by J Afshan

An international jury headed by renowned short filmmaker Mike Pandey will judge the films in the International Competition category. The jury also includes veteran filmmaker V G Samant, producer Mathew Horrocks, Andi Spark of Griffith Film School, Toon Boom CEO Joan Vogelesang, and Toronto International Children's Film Festival Director Jane Schoettle.

The Asian Panorama jury is headed by eminent broadcaster Chris McDonald, and other members are Poland's Izabela Wierzbinska, Bulgaria's Tsvetomira Niikolova and India's Mrinal Kulkarni. In addition, a children's jury is set up to judge the films from the perspective of the young.

The International Jury will award the The Golden Elephant and The Silver Elephant for Best Feature Length Film - Live Action Fiction, The Silver Elephant for Second Best Short Film - Live Action Fiction, Best Animation Film (both feature length & short film), Best Non-Fiction Film (information, research/documentation/entertainment), Best Director, Best Music Score (either background score or songs), and Best Child Artist, plus cash awards.

The Children's Jury will award a Golden Plaque plus Rs. 1,00,000 to a film from the International Competition Section. The awards in the Asian Panorama section include The Silver Elephant plus Rs. 1,00,000 for the Best Feature Length Film, Best Short Film and Best Child Artiste from a film.

The concept of an exclusive cinema for India's children was mooted by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was he who inspired the founding of Children's Film Society, India (CFSI), in May 1955. The objective of the society was to undertake and organise production, distribution and exhibition of feature films and shorts for children, provide them healthy and wholesome entertainment, aim to enhance their knowledge, develop their character, broaden their perspective and help shape them into useful citizens of modern India. CSFI is currently headed by Nafisa Ali Sodhi, a film artiste and social worker.

Please contact 2339-4065/2339-5187 for further details.