Films on big screen awe children

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Watching a film on the big screen might be a regular affair for children in the city but for the 1,000 kids who arrived from the tribal settlements and child welfare institutions, this would be a moment to cherish. Children from the tribal interiors in Kollam, Malappuram and Idukki were seen flitting across venues, flipping through festival booklets, spoilt for choice. 

For Shivakrishnan, a Class VII student from the tribal settlement in Malappuram, the first sight of the images on the screen was an entirely new experience. "The film was 'Appu in Search of Truth', a Malayalam film. This is probably the first time I watched a film on a big screen. I always wished for such an opportunity but it was impossible as I live in a remote region," he says. 
The second edition of the International Children's Film festival of Kerala (ICFFK) organised by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare in association with the Kerala State Film Development Corporation and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, happened to be firsts for many children like Shivakrishnan. Vaishakh, a Class IX student from Malappuram echoed the former's statements. "We want to return the next year too for the film festival. The collection is good. Although we weren't able to understand the language, we were able to decipher the message portrayed through the film," he said. 

Yashpal, the treasurer of KSCCW, Malappuram, said, "We had attended the first edition. This time however, around 50 children have come for the film festival, among which 38 children are from the tribal settlement in Malappuram. Although there are films on different genres, children did not enjoy the classics much. At the same time, films like 'Sudani from Nigeria' was well-received by children." 
"We don't have a television at home. Films are watched on the mobile phone. This is a first - watching a film on an enormous screen. the experience is exciting ," said Pranav Sukumaran, a Class X student from Idukki.

Children from tribal settlements like Wayanad, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam will also be participating in the week-long festival along with those from juvenile homes and orphanages from across the state.