Khushi Uniyal, 6, loved the “Doll-wali” film the best. It was a French children’s film, La Quela. Shruti Rai, 15, raved about Abdullah’s Story, a film about a specially abled child. And Amarjeet Singh, 7, would give the “biggest chocolate” to the maker of Leyley, a film from Greece about a random act of kindness by a young girl.

Films made for children can be best judged by the children themselves, and so 89 children’s films from 16 countries were judged by a jury of children like Khushi, Shruti and Amarjeet — all in the age group of three to 16 at the Chinh Kids Film Festival. At the third edition of the Film Festival, the young jury selected films that tugged at their heartstrings.

“Usually at film festivals, children’s films are judged by adults. But here, the jury is between three and 16,” said Vinay Rai, a filmmaker who along with his wife Meenakshi Rai, won a national award for a film on nomadic communities.

Hundred and sixty children from 25 schools across Delhi participated in the festival and judged the films.

“Children have their own way of interpreting films made for them. At times children bluntly tell us that they did not like the film,” said Meenakshi. “Small children tell us that they want to give a big chocolate to the film that they liked and a small toffee to the one that they did not like much.”

Filmmakers from 16 countries sent in their entries for the festival which has been divided into three categories: Preschool — for children between 3 and 6 years; Early Education — between 6 and 12 and Animation category — for children between 12 and 15.

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