Miss watching movies with children in theatre – Missing ICFFK

This year vacation for Children started 3 weeks earlier than usual, and yesterday 40 days of vacation/ lockdown got over and we still have 2 weeks more of lockdown. Children have been literally inside the home for the last 1.5 months and they miss doing things outdoor. One such event is the ICFFK which is usually held in Trivandrum every year May 2nd week and lasts for a week. Last year 144 children’s movies from different countries were screened in multiple venues. If one planned well one could watch maximum 5-6 movies a day!

On weekdays it was Anil’s duty to drop and pick up both Esther and Ezekiel at the venues. Some of Esther’s friends had also planned to watch the movies. All the venues had very good attendance all the days and in fact, children got into the habit of planning which all movie to watch the next day and how to plan to shuttle between theatres if required. Esther would call her friends end of the day and would update which all movies she saw and give her recommendation and vice versa.
Children also got chances to interact with child artists, actors, directors and also interact with media giving their opinion about the movies and the arrangements made for the fest. Esther on the first day got chance to speak to 2 FM radio channels and a TV channel on her opinion about the movies she saw on day 1 – Though she is very conscious speaking publicly, but then that day she did speak - so I assume she did like the movies she had seen. 

The weekend was my duty and I watched around 9 movies and many short Animations with Ezekiel. It’s very different ambience with theatres full of children, all the volunteers, the announcers, ushers were children. The selected movies were brilliant in terms of Storyline or technicalities, locations, themes …..my children did enjoy and learned to appreciate movies and life of children in a different part of the world. I was impressed both with the quality of Movies and the Audience J and we had decided that next year also we will attend the Festival, but then who knew pandemic would change all the social norms … We all miss doing the regular things like going out and we miss more ICFFK which was once in a year affair. Hoping things will get back to normal soon throughout the world and hopefully, ICFFK will come out with the option of Online Festival.

I have made the list of movies which my children watched and sharing it here. 

In this extended vacation, season hope some children will be able to watch some good movies.Childrens Movie list