Ahmedabad International Children Film Festival Celebrates Its 5th Edition

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The highly-anticipated fifth edition of the Ahmedabad International Children Film Festival (AICFF) is set to take place from December 8 to 10 at the prestigious Ahmedabad Management Association in the city. AICFF is a testament to the empowerment of young talent, creativity and culture from across the globe, providing a powerful platform for the younger generation to voice their beliefs and inspire positive change in our society.

AICFF is a three-day extravaganza, following the international film festival format, featuring an array of multicultural activities. The festivities kick off on December 8 with an Opening Day filled with excitement, including a grand Red Carpet Opening Ceremony and the screening of the opening film, Balit, from Iran.

The second day is a cinematic journey through films from various countries, complemented by 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 culminates on the third day with a grand Closing Ceremony, where the Closing Film, the Gujarati Mara Pappa Superhero, 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 and Best Background Score, along with special recognition through the Golden Kite Award, Silver Kite Award and the 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.

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 and 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 would also like to thank Milapsinh Jadeja, an angel investor in startups, who has come forward this year to support the festival.”

Dr. Savan Godiawala, President, Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), added, “AMA means continuing education and we have been constantly supporting the education needs by various training, forums and events of all the stakeholders. The 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 this, as AICFF is free for all of them.”

AICFF wants to be a beacon of inspiration for the next generation, and as it embarks on its fifth edition, it promises to be a celebration of talent, creativity and the power of storytelling.