Peals of laughter, silent introspection, a lot of cheers

15 films were screened on the third day’s morning show.

LAHORE:

Alhamra Arts Council on Wednesday morning rang with laughter as Ebegetiya, a nine-inch boy, tried to transform a series of unfortunate events into an adventure in a 22-minute short film by the same title.

The film was among several screened on the third day of the Lahore International Children’s Film Festival. Ebegetiya, a production from India, received tremendous applause from the audience in Hall 2. The children burst into laughter that was broken only by intermittent mimics of the evil king’s laughter “Hoo ha ha”!

The film presented an Indian traditional folklore. Its theme centred on the battle between good and evil. The viewers were taken on a journey of the adventures of a young boy who did not let his size hinder his ambitions. The young audience cheered Ebegetiya as he stood up against a tyrannical king and outsmarted him at every turn.

The shows, mostly animations, were screened throughout the morning for children coming in from schools across the city. As many as 15 films were screened during the first two shows in the morning.

The audience on the third day of the festival was treated to hour-long sessions of films from India, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Germany, England, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Japan and Pakistan. Bunty’s Tree, Guddu ki Guddi and Daddy ABC were screened again. Origami, a 6-minute animation from Spain, was screened along with Lofty Thirst, a production from England.

BitSeller, a 10-minute short film, tells the tale of an old writer trying to cope with technology. Forced to move from his old typewriter to a laptop, when the writer puts away his old broken typewriter, he is reminded of a laptop he had tucked away in a small corner of a bookshelf. The film shows the writer struggling to cope with new technology in order to finish his novel. The old man’s struggles are portrayed in a whimsical and colourful manner.

Krake tells the story of how a purple creature gets stuck to a girl’s head and changes her life. The film depicts how the girl develops an emotional connection with the creature. The creature, throughout the silent animation, grows emotionally and in size, on the girl’s head. The film was received with much cheering and applause.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2013.