In an attempt to take entertainment and information to children, the third edition of the Golden Bee International Children's Film Festival will be organising a summer special online edition to be held from 26 to 30 June.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, as children continue to stay at home and adapt to online classes, the festival offers some entertainment and a chance to watch films from across the world. More than 40 short films, animation and documentaries will be screened at the festival.
Speaking about the festival, founder-director Rao Narender Yadav said, “Summer vacations have always been an exciting time for children. However, this year due to the pandemic, children are confined to their homes and are generally spending time either on their laptops or phones. We realised that it could be a good opportunity to not only entertain them through short films and animation but also improve their understanding on issues like environment conservation, bullying, gender discrimination, disability etc.”
The festival will be screening several award-winning films, including the National award-winning feature film Sound of Joy (2015) directed by Sukankan Roy, the 2018 short film Malai (Ice-Cream) by Rajdeep Paul and Sarmistha Maiti, Turtle Diaries: The Olive Ridley Turtle by Rita Banerji, The Secret Life of Frogs (2019) by Ajay and Vijay Bedi, Listening to a Smile by Carya Maharja and Radistic Ayu Praptiwi and Bullies by Daniel Bydlowski.
Amongst the other International films is the animation film Kayah Lily by Mi Mi Lwin from Myanmar, the short film Zoe directed by Cindy Murillo and José Andrés Aguayo from Ecuador, and My Dad Matthew by John Schaffer.
The festival has also announced awards for certain categories and will conclude on June 30 with the announcement of winners.
The festival will have screenings on its Facebook page.