3 Telugu films selected for Children’s Film Fest

Hyderabad: Three Telugu films got selected for the upcoming 20th International Children’s Film Festival to be held in Hyderabad from November 8 to 14. The three Telugu films – ‘Doo Doo Dhee Dhee’, ‘Egire Tharajuvvalu’ and ‘Shanu’ – are among the 190-odd films selected from across the world.

Expressing happiness over the selection of ‘Doo Doo Dhee Dhee’, filmmaker Allani Sridhar said, “Getting an entry into children’s film festival is a great pride in itself as 200 films are chosen from 1400-odd entries.” The film deals with the impact of online games on children. “Children need to re-orient themselves to spend less time with gadgets and more with parents and friends,” he said.

A source close to director KNT Sastry describes ‘Shanu’ as a film that revolves around the life of a girlchild, while producer Naga Malla Reddy made a kiddie flick ‘Egire Tharajuvvalu’ with director Mahesh Kathi, which delves on present education system.

Based on the story of a motely bunch of Class VII students of a government school who head to participate in a science fair, the film bats for a pedagogical shift from rote learning to experiential learning.

Apart from screening in various festivals, children’s films cry for financial support from the state governments. “Otherwise, children will be forced to watch adult movies since they are left with no choice. Only government subsidies can breathe life into dying children’s cinema,” says another director, on the condition of anonymity.