Children's film fest in Hyderabad

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and other personalities lit the traditional lamp to formally open the festival. 
Actor Ranbir Kapoor and child artist Darsheel Safary of "Taare Zameen Par" fame were the star attractions at the inaugural ceremony. 

The festival received 896 entries from 74 countries. They include 123 entries under the Little Directors section.  For the first time, the ICFFI received 26 films from South America. 

International Children's Film Festival India (ICFFI) also popularly known as The Golden Elephant is a biennial festival that strives to bring the most delightful and imaginative national and international children's cinema to young audiences in India. Outstanding features, shorts, live action and animation films are screened over seven days of festive celebrations, attended by more than one hundred thousand children and hundreds of film professionals from across the world will meet at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

ICFFI is organized by Children's Film Society India (CFSI). CFSI started functioning in 1955 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with Pandit Hriday Nath Kunzru as President. CFSI's maiden production Jaldeep won the first prize for best Children's Film at the 1957 Venice Film Festival.

Every two years, the festival begins on 14th November, the birth date of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru – India's first Prime Minister – also fondly referred to as Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru), because of his love for children. Pandit Nehru established CFSI soon after India's independence with the hope that indigenous and exclusive cinema for children would stimulate their creativity, compassion and critical thinking. It is this vision of Jawaharlal Nehru that guides ICFFI.