- Two-time National Award winner director Manish Saini will be the festival director
- Bollywood actor Pavan Malhotra will be the chief guest of the festival along with Japanese film director Fumie Nishikawa
- The three-day event will also have other programmes like dialogues, workshops and interactions among members of the film fraternity
- The festival will showcase over 90 films from 45 countries in 18 languages with subtitles in English
- AICFF proudly presents a range of categories and awards, recognizing excellence in various aspects of filmmaking
- Entry is free entry for all but pre-registration at AMA deskis mandatory
- Milapsinh Jadeja, an angel investor, and also founder of Paytamasha is one of the sponsors
GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
AHMEDABAD, DEC 7
The 5th edition of the Ahmedabad International Children Film Festival (AICFF) is in for a grand Red Carpet Opening Ceremony and the screening of the opening film here on Friday. The three-day event will be held at the Ahmedabad Management Association in association with Gujarat Tourism as part of its cinematic policy here on Friday, announced the organisers.
AICFF is an extravaganza, following the international film festival format, featuring an array of multicultural activities. The festival will showcase over 90 films from 45 countries in 18 languages with subtitles in English. The three-day event will also have other programmes like dialogues, workshops and interactions among members of the film fraternity.
On the opening day, Persian film called ‘BALIT,’ and on closing day Gujarati film ‘Mara Papa Super Hero’ will be screened. Bollywood actor Pavan Malhotra to be the chief guest of the festival, along with Japanese film director Fumie Nishikawa coming all the way from Japan. Few other names are Master Manjunath (Malgudi Days), Shiladitya Bora, Pankaj Roy, Ajitpal Singh and Vishesh Agrawal.
The second day is a cinematic journey through films from various countries, complemented by enriching masterclasses. Distinguished film professionals, including directors, actors, writers, and filmmakers, both from India and abroad, will grace the occasion, making it a truly global celebration of cinema.
The festival will culminate on the third day with a grand Closing Ceremony, where the Closing Film will be screened, and outstanding talent will be recognized through the presentation of awards.
AICFF has consistently attracted worldwide attention and contributions from various content creators. Over the past four editions, the festival has seen more than 500 films from around the globe. This year, the festival received an impressive 90-plus films from 24 countries, including entries from Iran, Italy, India, Turkey, China, Croatia, United States, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Taiwan, Switzerland, Singapore, Nepal, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, Canada, Brazil, and the Republic of Korea.
AICFF proudly presents a range of categories and awards, recognizing excellence in various aspects of filmmaking. The categories include Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Animation Film, Best Student Film, Best Director for Feature Film, Best Director for Short Film, Best Director for Documentary Film, Best Actor in a Feature Film, Best Child Actor, Best Story, Best Background Score, along with special recognition through the Golden Kite Award, Silver Kite Award, and Bronze Kite Award.
This year, AICFF is privileged to have Manish Saini as the Festival Director, a two-time National Award winner whose film “Gandhi & Co” secured India’s Best Children’s Film at the National Awards. Distinguished jury members Aarti Patel, Girish Makwana and Shiladitya Bora bring their expertise to the festival, along with advisor Abhishek Jain, a renowned Director and Producer.
Manish Saini expressed his commitment to nurturing the next generation through creative cinema, highlighting the festival’s role in motivating young talents. Aarti Patel, Girish Makwana and Shiladitya Bora, as jury members, shared the challenges and joys of selecting the best films every year, while Abhishek Jain, the festival’s advisor, emphasized the importance of celebrating the boundless imagination and stories of children in today’s world.
Chetan Chauhan, Publicist by profession, Founder of the festival says: “AICFF is one of the gestures we have started for our next generation. We strongly believe that everyone has a story, especially our new generation and every child as protagonist must be heard and we as society must provide them a platform to get their talent. We also would like to thank Milapsinh Jadeja, an angel investor, and also founder of Paytamasha to come forward this year to support the festival.”
Unmesh Dixit, Executive Director, Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) says, “AMA means continuing education and we have been constantly supporting the education needs by various training, forums and events, of all the stakeholders. Film Festival is one such event, where we look forward to the young generation to get Education with Entertainment together. International films showcasing at AMA is a proud moment, and I wish citizens of Ahmedabad take maximum advantage of it as its free for all.”
