Third Ahmedabad International Children's Film Festival to be held next month

The third edition of the Ahmedabad International Children's Film Festival (AICFF) will take place in December this year.

The previous edition of the festival was held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic but the organizers are hopeful that this time they will be able to hold a physical version as well.

In case that is not possible, the third edition will be held online from 24 to 26 December.

As the name of the festival suggests, the AICFF features films from across the world meant primarily for children. In its previous two editions, the festival received more than 300 entries from 25 countries. This year, it has already received more than 100 entries from 31 countries.

The festival will showcase feature films, short films, documentaries and student films. It will also give out awards in various categories. The last date for submission of entries is 7 December. Filmmakers can submit their entries through the Filmfreeway portal.

This year, the festival has roped in Uma Da Cunha as adviser. In a statement, she said, “Film is one of the most accessible ways in which to reach the minds of children and gauge how they ingest, react to and retain elements of what they see and evaluate in their individual, spontaneous ways. When used well, film as a communication medium is an invaluable teaching tool for all age groups and particularly the young, whose minds are fresh and open.”

Manish Saini is the festival director while the jury includes Gujarati cinema and radio personality Aarti Patel and filmmaker, writer, musician and producer Girish Makwana, who is based in Australia.

Chetan Chauhan, a publicist by profession, is the founder of the festival. “Our efforts will always be there to do more with children's cinema," he said. "AICFF is one of the gestures we have started for society to give our children the feel of the world of children's cinema, especially when there is less focus on children's content, and we want more people to give attention to our future generations.”