MISSISSAUGA: Children’s Film Festival announces another stellar line-up of film shorts with FILMI

 

 Film Poster 

MISSISSAUGA: After a successful launch in 2013, Sampradaya Dance Creations will once again be partnering with FILMI (Toronto’s South Asian Film Festival) for a second installment of the Children’s Film Festival in celebration of South Asian Heritage month.

Scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 25 at 4 p.m. at Sampradaya Theatre in Mississauga, this year’s Children’s Film Festival boasts another stellar line-up of film shorts. The festival will showcase an entertaining and thoughtful collection of family-friendly short films by South Asian filmmakers. There will also be the opportunity to chat with some of the directors who will be joining the festival live via Skype from around the globe (India, Australia, US) following the screening.

This year’s standout film is award-winning title Ika by Director Raam Reddy. This engaging short is about a boy living in the slums of Bangalore who wants to make a film. Not having a video camera of his own, he builds one using a cardboard box and a magnifying glass with an old VHS tape stuck onto the side of it. He then sets out with his friend in search of an idea for his film, telling his friend that “whatever is in your mind will go into this tape.” This is only one example of the exciting collection of shorts programmed for this event.

Sampradaya is delighted to be able to showcase these engaging movies that we hope will inspire our local children and youth and create dialogue within families.

“We are proud to be working again with Dinesh, Sachdev, Executive Director and Founder of FILMI who takes great pride and care to select the films we offer in our festival. Through film, our audience will experience of range of subject matter and emotion. We hope they will see themselves and beyond their own experiences. Families can enjoy an afternoon of watching great films together, free of charge,” says Artistic Director for Sampradaya Dance Creations, Lata Pada.

 

Films that have been selected for the festival include:

 

Title: Ripples

Director: Shreyasi Das

Duration: 4 minutes

Language: English

Genre: Animation

Synopsis: An elderly woman reminisces about her hometown in Kolkata, India.

 

Title: Ravi and Jane

Director: Stuart O’Rourke

Duration: 14 minutes

Language: English

Synopsis: Ravi and Jane is the story of two class mates who strike up a budding friendship. A shy 10 year old, Ravi, has just moved to Australia from his native land of Sri Lanka and on his first day at a new school he is befriended by one of his classmate’s – Jane.

 

Title: Here and Away

Director: Meena Nanji

Duration: 11 minutes

Language: Hindi, with English subtitles

Synopsis: Capturing a single day of a boy living in the countryside, experiencing the world go by. Based on Franz Kafka’s short story – Children on a Country Road.

 

Title: IKA

Director: Raam Reddy

Duration: 15 minutes

Language: Hindi, with English subtitles

Synopsis: his engaging short is about a boy living in the slums of Bangalore and wants to make a film. Not having a video camera of his own, he builds one using a cardboard box and a magnifying glass with an old VHS tape stuck onto the side of it. He then sets out with his friend in search of an idea for his film, telling his friend that ‘Whatever is in your mind will go into this tape”

 

The Children’s Film Festival takes place on Sunday, May 25 at 4 p.m. at the Sampradaya Theatre in Mississauga. Admission is free, all welcome. Reservations required. Space is limited. Contact the Sampradaya office by phone 905-607-8434 or by email at info @sampradaya.ca to reserve your spot. Visit online at sampradaya.ca for more information.