A Cinema of Their Own

Updated on: Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) in collaboration with Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and Bichitra Pathshala, inaugurated ‘Monsoon Dhamaal: Children’s Film Festival’ at the BITM auditorium, in Kolkata, recently.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by Nandita Das (noted actor and chairperson of CFSI), Sushovan Banerjee (CEO CFSI), G S Rautela (director general of the National Council of Science Museums, India), Emdadul Ismal (head of BITM) and Buddhadeb Dasgupta (producer and director).

Monsoon Dhamal is a four-day film carnival exclusively designed for the little ones. Eight award-winning films will be screened across three venues in the city and entry to the screenings will be absolutely free. CFSI works to promote children’s films amongst the young audience.

“Children today are exposed to mainstream films meant primarily for grown-ups, and on TV they watch reality shows and series, which are often violent and not conductive for them. There is little we can do to stop that, but at CFSI we try to provide an alternative by screening films that are fun, but simultaneously help in building a value-based system,” said Nandita Das.

The inauguration happened in front of a packed audience, most of whom were excited and talkative school children. It was followed by a special sneak preview of WOH, a children’s film produced by CFSI and directed by renowned director Buddhadeb Dasgupta. The film inspired by Tagore’s celebrated novel Shey is woven around the relationship of a small child ‘poupe’, her grandfather and a fictional character ‘WOH’ that represents the good soul latent in every human being.

With films and interactive sessions on the menu, the next few days promise to be a blast for the little ones at the Monsoon Dhamal.

A Cinema of Their Own

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