West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi today regretted the absence of adequate single screens in the country where children's films could be regularly shown.
Inaugurating the 17th International Children's Film Festival at state-run cultural complex Nandan here, Tripathi said, "There is dearth of single cinema halls where children's films can be regularly screened in the country."
Tripathi asked producers and directors "to come forward to make children's films in regional languages."
Calling upon parents to guide children in their choices of movies the Governor described cinema "as a medium for education."
In this connection, the Governor praised the initiative of Cine Central in organising the Children's Film Festival in collaboration with UNICEF and Nandan.
Director Nagesh Kukunoor, whose 'Dhanak' was the inaugural film at the festival, told PTI before the function, "in India children watch all commercial cinema."
"If commercial films can appeal to a child, then obviously some dialogue goes on between the child and that kind of cinema," he said.
"India is one of those rare places where things are made for the whole family," Kukunoor said adding, "I can't say what is good or bad film because what works for you does not work for me."
Kukunoor said that in India films bearing the label of "children's film and women-centric films have fewer takers among the people. So if someone has to make a children's film, there should be bankable stars and again it should not be labelled as a children's film."
A package of 46 films, from 18 participating countries including Iran, Vietnam, Germany, Denmark, Uruguay, Russia and South Korea, would be screened at the festival from August 1 to August 4.
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