Excitement and giggles abound despite delays

Students outside the hall discussed the movies they had seen.

LAHORE:

Nearly 2,000 students from various schools thronged to Alhamra Arts Council on Monday for the morning shows on the second day of the festival.

Students from LACAS, Allied School, Azam Garrison, City School and various branches of the Lahore Grammar School, accompanied by their teachers, visited the festival from 9am to 1pm. More than 40 buses from various schools brought children to the venue.

The Lahore Grammar School’s Johar Town campus brought students from 12 sections of grades three, four and five, for the second show of the morning screenings. Last year, the students who had visited the festival did a class project on it and compiled reports on the films they watched. “Who doesn’t love movies?” said Zehra, a student.

Students of City School’s Shalimar Branch queued outside Hall 2 after the screening. The students of classes two and three were giggling and discussing their favourite films of the day. “I liked all the movies today,” said a shy Sara.

Noshaba Aslam, one of the teachers accompanying the students, discussed the movies with the children. “They had a great time today,” she said, “I plan to discuss the movies with my students in the class…to see how much they understood and help them interpret the movies.”

Nearly 150 students, from six sections of class 6, from the Azam Garrison Army Public School and Colleges System came for the morning show. They were attending the festival for the first time.

Class 6 teacher Maria Afzal accompanied her class of 24 students for the second show scheduled to start at 10:30am. “The festival is all they have been talking about for the past few days,” she said, “Even on the ride from the school to the venue.” It’s good to expose children to fun activities, it also helps facilitate their learning, she said.

Afzal had devised a plan to keep the children entertained while waiting for the show, because of the delays. “I took them to the cafeteria,” she said, “They don’t mind waiting if they are eating.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2013.