Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

ICFF workshops put off

HYDERABAD: It was disappointing for enthusiastic young film buffs as an absolute lack of coordination among the organisers of the International Children’s Film Festival (ICFF) led to two of the three scheduled workshops for children to be put off.

The workshops -- one on film-making and the other on story telling -- were to begin on Sunday. But they were cancelled at the last minute due to the chaotic situation. It was initially announced that the workshops would be held at the Lalitha Kala Thoranam in Public Gardens.

While the session on animation began in a building behind the main stage, organisers were confused as to where they should hold the other two, because rehearsals for cultural events had already begun with the massive speakers blaring out the accompanying music.

Hence, the resource persons for the workshops on film-making and story telling threw up their hands saying they simply could not conduct a workshop in the open space.

Officials of the Children’s Film Society of India, who could have rectified the situation could not be contacted, while the festival coordinator and his colleagues said they were helpless in such a situation.

The organisers had flown in from Mumbai, three resource persons for the film-making and story telling workshops and in addition, the services of two more here were enlisted for the sessions. They waited patiently for over an hour from 4 p.m. But with confusion reigning supreme and nothing being done to sort out the situation, they returned without serving their purpose.

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