The glittering opening ceremony was attended by eminent children’s filmmakers, actors from Bollywood and Tollywood.

The inaugural film screened was Gattu, a movie about a kid’s passion for kites, produced by the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI).

The week-long festival which will showcase a wide variety of children’s films, has for the first time two movies made by Telangana filmmakers, that too from the backward Mahbubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh.

“Seven days in slow motion”, made by Basi Reddy, and Lotus Pond by P G Vinda of Gadwal, received rave reviews.

Good films

Inaugurating the festival, Union minister of state for information and broadcasting Chowdhury Mohan Jatua said that children of the world require good films and a good environment to learn and live.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy announced 10 acres of land for building a permanent structure for hosting the biennial International Children Film Festival (ICFF), ahead of the 18th edition.