When I was a
children, in the 80s Calcutta, days were magical. Every Sunday, there would be
children’s film, at some posh theatre nearby. Such shows were free of cost. My
elder brother used to take me to the magical realities of the screenworld. I
would watch numbers of nameless films with fantastic creatures and human
beings, every month. I do not remember the stories, but I vividly remember the
shapes, the faces, the joy of watching others. I watched Superman II when I was
eight. I saw 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, even before that.
In my early youth, in
Kolkata, I would always go to the children’s films at the 3 pm shows, in the KIFF,
no matter which other important films were playing on the other screens at the
same time. The magical sheen of cinema, the special zone that we call spectacle
is nowhere more than it is in the children’s films. And, unlike most Indian
film directors and producers, I always knew that children’s films had nothing
to do with the compulsion of having child characters in them.
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| Poster of a film from the Calcutta of my childhood |
Mumbai Film festival (MFF), organized by Jio
MAMI, realized the importance of addressing the creative side of children and
young adults of our country. A special section of the festival is brought out
specially for them. That is Half Ticket. Monica Wahi, Founder-Director of the regional cross-border network South Asian
Children’s Cinema Forum, has personally
curated this section. I am especially amazed because this section opens with
the cinematic adaptation of my most favorite tale from my school days – Le Petit
Prince.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
fabricated a magical universe where the Little Prince leaves his small planet
and the pet rose to meet the author in the Sahara. It is a mirrored replica of
our world, and of ourselves, in layers on top of layers. The two time Academy Award
winning Director Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda, The Sponge Bob Squarepants)
showcased this first adaptation of Exupery’s classic to the Cannes festival,
this year. Now, our younger versions would have a chance to catch it in
theatre, with awed eyes.
The Cesar award winner Director bricked up this
film around revolves around a little girl who lives in a very grown up world
and her mother who maps out every minute of her daughter’s life in order to
get her into the finest school. The Little Girl is soon distracted by her
strange and ancient neighbour, the Aviator, who introduces her to an
extraordinary world where anything is possible! A world that he was himself
invited into long ago by a mysterious extra-terrestrial voyager, The Little
Prince.
Creative,
Producer, Director and Curator, Monica Wahi said, “It is the first time that children in India will get to
watch this celebrated animation on the big screen. Generations have
grown up with the book. I'm sure like the classic, this contemporary retelling will also
resonate with both children and adults."
Trailer of The Little Prince
Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star, Chairperson, Kiran Rao
said, "We are so happy
to have the Half Ticket section back this year. This vertical is dedicated to
kids and young adults, and this year we are opening screenings for festival
delegates and their kids too on certain days. We hope parents across the city
will take this opportunity to introduce their kids to great cinema.”
Half ticket will present an
exciting slate of 28 films from across the world including fiction, non-fiction
and animation. Half Ticket will feature 13 features and 15 shorts. The Jury for
Half Ticket will consist of 7 kids aged 9 to 17 years from across Mumbai.
In addition to this, on Friday, October 21, 2016 a Screen writing workshop will be
conducted for aspiring school going film writers aged 12 to 16 years, by
Dibarkar Banerjee, Diya Mirza and Varun Grover.
Besides The
Little Prince, the section is also presenting other exciting titles
like Heidi, At Eye Level, Fanny's Journey, Window
Horses and Hang in there, kids! Colours of Innocence, Famous
in Ahmedabad and We make Images are the Indian
productions included in the section.
We promise you
to bring a glimpse of each of these during the festival.
This vertical which is
dedicated to children has been opened to delegates as well on certain days. The
youngest audience are in for a special treat! Gillo Theatre Repertory, the
renowned children's theatre group will lead an interactive session of animated
shorts with 5 to 7 year old kids.
Festival delegates can register children and young adults for the
Opening Show and ten other shows across the weekend. These weekend shows
promise a wide range of films for young audiences aged 5 to 17
years. Younger children can enjoy more accessible, heart-warming films
while older teenagers interfered in art and cinema will get to watch more
eclectic work. Most of the films are subtitled. Parents are advised to check
the Age Recommendations and Advisories for each film on the festival website
before booking the show.
I am all in for this great feast! Are you?
Readers, please feel free to share your views/opinions in the comment box below. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!
Readers, please feel free to share your views/opinions in the comment box below. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!
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