Second International Children’s Film Festival calls out to Karachi

KARACHI: 

To entertain, inspire, and educate is the purpose of the second Karachi International Children’s Film Festival, which has been organised by festival director Shoaib Iqbal in collaboration with The Little Art and Teacher’s Resource Centre (TRC).

The idea behind the festival is to celebrate and encourage some of the best films made for and by children. It is geared towards specific age groups from four to 16 years old. Children have a vivid imagination with toys and make-believe characters, and can love unconditionally; these themes stood out at the screening showcased at the Rangoonwala Community Centre in Dhoraji Colony on Wednesday.

Films

The first film to be screened was Disassembled, which came from the Netherlands. While it was packed with creative graphics and animated creatures, the film failed to attract much attention because there was no concrete plot.

However, another film titled Picture This gained positive feedback and touched the hearts of the audience. The story is about Giles, a young girl from South Africa, who left her elderly grandmother at her home town Gogo to be with her father in another town of South Africa. Like her father, Giles also shares his passion for painting and she paints the town in a myriad of colours. But when her father finds out, he becomes angry because she uses all his paints. The people, however, appreciate her for painting it red and making the town a livelier place to live in.

The Pakistani film Bhaoo was also an entertaining watch. It was the story of a little boy named Bilal who is scared of demons he thinks he sees at midnight. He has nightmares about them and screams out for his mother, but his mother doesn’t take his fears seriously. For young Bilal, many questions remain unanswered because his mother is always too busy on the telephone. The deeper theme of the play is that Bilal’s imaginary demons are a result of his mother’s neglect.

Another animated movie from the United Kingdom titled Lost and Found was interesting. The plot revolves around a little penguin from the shores of the South Pole who comes to an anonymous town in the UK and knocks on the door of a little boy. The boy then goes from place to place, trying to find a home for the animal.

Appreciation from the young

At the Zuleikhabai Audi-torium, about 50 students from the Foundation School in Bahadurababd were present. One of the 10-year-olds, Mohib Anwar, said he loved watchingLost and Found because the movie described how friends are made and then lost and regained.

“Children thoroughly enjoyed the festival,” said school administrator Ghulam Akbar. “However, a guide should be here to help the children understand morals behind any given story, so that they can understand it better.”

“Films are a mode of entertainment and inspiration for young minds,” said Ali Hameed, the program director for The Little Art. “We select films from across the world and bring it here to the local audience. This also makes them well aware of other cultures in the world.”

More films will be screened during the day time for young viewers on November 8 and then through November 12 to 14 at the Zuleikhabai Auditorium of the Rangoonwala Centre.