Children’s film fest makes Xmas special

By Preetha Banerjee
KOLKATA: A musical performance by children, moderated by music director Debojyoti Mishra, marked the beginning of the 4th Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival on Sunday.
The inauguration was graced by finance minister Amit Mitra, Sishu Kishore Academy president Arpita Ghosh and IIMCA principal secretary Atri Bhattacharya. Batul Bhaktiar, the director of the inaugural film ‘Kaphal’
and children from Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand who acted in the film where the guests of honour.
“When I first saw Kolkata, I felt like I was dreaming with my eyes open,” gushed Ajay Rana, one of the child actors still excited about his first “aeroplane ride”.
‘Kaphal’ is a film about two children who were separated from their father at a young age and are excited about his return to the village. “But when he comes back and starts imposing his rules on them, they seek the help of a village witch to send him back,“ said the director.
The special attraction of the film festival, which ends on December 28, is a special Iranian children’s film package comprising six feature films and an animation film. “This year, films in Ladakhi and Kumayuni languages will be screened in Bengal for the first time,” said Santanu Ganguly, film festival curator.
Another attraction is the collage of six short films by 32 underprivileged students of Purulia.