Children throng to encore screenings of favourite films

Guddu ki Guddi has already been shown eight times.

LAHORE:

Over 2,000 children attended the screening of films on the fourth day of the Lahore International Children’s Film Festival (LICFF). Some of them clearly had a preference for certain films.

Guddu ki Guddi, a Pakistani production by Madiha Jameel and Saliha Alvi and submitted by the Department of Multimedia of the National College of Arts was an instant favourite among the children.

The four-minute film starts with the soundtrack of traditional dhol. Based in the Walled City, the film revolves around a boy called Guddu chasing a kite.

Other films being screened on popular demand include The Gruffalo’s Child, Daddy ABC and the Room on the Broom.

“Children love some of the movies being screened and we try to accommodate their preferences in our schedules,” said Ali Hameed, festival manager and programmer.



“Guddu ki Guddi seems to have stolen the show,” he said.”

We have had eight screenings of the film so far.”

“This is why we should promote local filmmakers, because they have a ready-made audience,” he said.

Pakistani short film Bubble, animated feature film Zarafa and German feature Wickie and the Treasure of the Gods have also been well-received.

Films from Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, England, Singapore and Pakistan were also shown as children from 10 schools made their way to the venue in the four-hour long morning sessions.

Students of Bloomfield Hall School, Amin Maktab, Sajan Nagar Schools, Salamat Schools System, Roots Schools System as the Child Protection Bureau and the Ghani Welfare Foundation also participated in the screenings.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2013.