The second annual Children’s International Film Festival screened movies by and for children in cinemas and schools across the United Arab Emirates this month.
“The kids get really excited to watch the work of their peers,” Deepak Jain, director of the Children’s International Film Festival, told The Media Line.
A total of 53 UAE students ranging in age from 12 to 17 along with 67 international independent filmmakers were chosen to showcase their work. There were more than 400 submissions hoping to fill the 120 slots for film showings.
Six of those submissions came from the GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai. Over the last few years, more students there have gotten involved in film and media. Sumana Chatterjee, the head of communications at GEMS Modern Academy who also coordinates the school’s involvement with the Children’s International Film Festival has noticed how the enthusiasm at the Academy has positively impacted the film festival.
“The students were really interested in taking part in this competition because before there was nothing happening in Dubai,” she told The Media Line. “It was the first time they had something to look forward to.”
Chatterjee says the furor at school has been a life changing experience encouraging students from all platforms to showcase their skills in a way that promotes team building. Whether it is writers collaborating on a script, musicians orchestrating a film score or directors and actors cultivating the perfect scene, each student is able to contribute his or her underlying talents. Creating films for the Children’s International Film Festival has generated so much excitement, in fact, this year GEMS Modern Academy added a media club to the curriculum on campus so more children could get involved.
The most remarkable aspect of the whole process, Chatterjee notes, has been to see the themes the students choose to focus on for their films.
“They’re really excited to showcase their ideas and philosophies around the globe.”
One film’s focus was on children not appreciating their parents, another was about how autism should be brought into the mainstream education system, while a third centered on gender bias. Most of the children who came up with these mature themes are around 13 and 14 years old.
Students began brainstorming last year and worked over the summer to write, shoot, edit and completely create their movies independently. Of the 11 films created, administrators at GEMS Modern Academy nominated 6 for entry in the Children’s International Film Festival, and 3 were selected. Last year the Academy only had 1 showcased.
The films from GEMS Modern Academy, along with the others at the festival, were screened by students, parents and a panel of international judges from India, Belgium, the UAE and the NY Film Academy for a series of days. Following the showcase was a glamorous, red carpet awards night. The top-prize winner received a trophy and recognition along with a full-week scholarship to any of the NY Film Academy’s 21 international locations.
Win or lose, however, each participant benefits from the Children’s International Film Festival.
“What sets our film festival apart,” Jain explained, “aside from giving awards, is that the films from our festival travel to other festivals so they get a chance to be showcased internationally.”
Additionally, rather than just watching films, participants gain hands-on experience in the filmmaking process. Jain said after reflecting on last year’s event, he wanted to include more seminars at the festival for the .
“This year we’re able to train more students by conducting many more workshops,” he told The Media Line. “They’re intense, full day workshops where we talk about fundamentals like pre and post-production, and then they make a film.”
In doing this, Jain hopes the Children’s International Film Festival will not only identify and nurture young filmmaking talent in the UAE, but also give those students the opportunity to have a platform where they can make films and showcase them around the world.