Hyderabad|India|November'2009: Film makers and directors have unanimously stressed the need for a uniform policy declaration for propagation and popularization of children’s films both at the state and national level.

They said the government policy framework should spell out the strategies, incentives and also steps for not only production but also their marketing, publicity and distribution of the children’s films.

The participants in the Open Forum on the issue of why children’s films were invisible in india were –Ms. Soni Taraporewala ,Sunil Advani and Murali Nair and Gert Harmann were unanimous that lack of a policy initiative and a concerted efforts by the government and societal agencies drove the children’s films to back seat in the country . The debate was moderated by Sushovan Bannerji, the CEO of CFSI.

Ms.Soni Taraporewala , a film maker herself said children’s films in India lacked attitude and direction . “ Many build stories around the child but most do not have a child as the main actor , or even a children’s issue ”, she said .

German film maker Gert Harmann who mooted the need for a policy said policy should not centre only on marketing , distribution and film themes but also on making it available to children in both rural and urban areas .

A film maker Murali Nair , who successful sold out his children’s film on the European market confessed that there was need of a attitudinal change among film makers in india if their children’s film should succeed in the market .

Many of the speakers made a case for earmarking prime time screening of children’s films on electronic media . The CEO of CFSI said they were already in talks with Doordarshan for screening of children’s films atleast several times in a week during an prime time slot .

To discount arguments that the Children’s films were not profitable , the moderator Shushovan Bannerji said films like Children’s of Heavn had made 94 million dollors against an expense of 18 million , ET had earned 793 million as against an expenditure of 500 ML and the lord of rings had earned 1120 ML dollars as against an expense of 94 million dollars .

Speakers also expressed concern over lack of corporate support for children’s film movement. “ Why not the uTv movies, Tv18 or promote children’s movies “ asked.

Sunil Advani . He said Indian sentiment also played havoc on distribution . “ Unless the movies succeeded in the theatre circuit there were no buyers in the DVD or Vidoe routes “ he said replying to a question why the Children’s films should not be marketed on the CD channels .

A child delegate provided a solution for popularizing the childrens’s movies when she said that the short films could be tagged along with popular movies for theatre circuits.

Reachout's News Bureau
November' 2009