Children are now both a valuable audience and an influence,as everything from film appreciation courses to script-writing workshops woo children into the world of good cinema The hall goes dark and a hushed silence falls upon the audience. A picture of a young boy playing with a baby elephant comes alive on the giant screen. As the funny antics of the two fill up the screen,peals of laughter erase the silence. Now,childrens interest in films is no longer limited to a popcorn and cola treat with parents. Film appreciation courses and cinema events for every age group are increasingly getting them hooked onto movies in the right way,not just by swishing a pair of sunglasses and perching them on their back collar,like Salman Khan. The Childrens Film Society (CFS),Pune,kicked off an 11-city film festival for children,last week,called Monsoon Dhamaal. The purpose was to help children enjoy the rains and also the movies made specially for them. Films are a powerful medium of educating children and imbibing values in them, explains Prashant Patharbe,director National Film Archives of India (NFAI). Having recently concluded a film appreciation course for children,NFAI aims to replicate them on a larger scale in the coming years. Animation has extended to 24-hour channels today. But childrens films on television are rarely heard of, he adds. The film appreciation course at NFAI was held in collaboration with Filmy Chasma,an organisation that works to promote children-friendly cinema. The audience comprised of early and mid-teens,who were explained the nuances of analysing a film critically and given a gentle push towards accepting intelligent cinema. It not only broadens their perspective of the world,but also deepens it. As far as the question as to why this sudden interest in children,NFAI has been conducting this course for last two years now. Its an effort on our part to educate children, says Patharbe Sunil Kumar,marketing head of the Childrens Film Society (CFS),seconds the thought. What good does it do if an organisation like ours produces films for children on a regular basis,but not show it to them? Some of the countrys top directors have made memorable films for children,like Malli,Charandas Chor,Hungama Bombay Ishtyle,Bal Shivaji and so on,which have left a lasting impression on children,both in the urban as well as rural areas. So why not continue the same on a broader scale now? he asks. Another Pune-based organisation called Zen Foundation runs script-writing and filmmaking workshops for children. Children as an audience are the toughest to please. For them,anything is either good or bad. There is nothing in between and they can understand simple things,like good triumphing over evil or that cheaters never prosper. It is important to give them a platform to express and experience the same, says Marathi actor Ramesh Deo,who was the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the Pune leg of the Monsoon Festival. But Patharbe feels such sporadic events need to find more takers. Even in urban areas,it is only the municipal corporation-run and vernacular schools that participate in these events. Another case needs to be made for the rural areas,where the facilities are still not up to the mark, says Patharbe.
