Lucknow, 15 April : The World's biggest International Children's Film Festival (ICFF-2024), organized by the Films and Radio Division of City Montessori School, began this day at CMS Kanpur Road auditorium. Chief Guest, Shri Durga Shankar Mishra, IAS, Chief Secretary, UP, inaugurated the ICFF-2024 by lighting the lamp. The festival swung high on popularity charts with the charming presence of famed film actors Rudra Soni, Krish Soni, Brijendra Kala and Suhani Sareen. The presence of approximately 10,000 students at the first show of the International Children's Film Festival proved its immense popularity among the students. ICFF-2024 is being organized from 15 to 21 April, 2024 at CMS Kanpur Road auditorium.

Inaugurating the ICFF-2024, the Chief Guest, Shri Durga Shankar Mishra, IAS, Chief Secretary, UP, said that the International Children’s Film Festival is educating and entertaining the children of City Montessori School as well as the children of many other schools making them knowledgeable and imbued with good human values and traditions. He further said that cinema is a double edged sword teaching us both good and bad things but we are reminded today of the late CMS Founder, Dr Jagdish Gandhi who taught the children how to discriminate between the good and the bad, the useful and the useless and started this film festival to fulfill the need for good and healthy cinema. CMS Founder-Director, Dr Bharti Gandhi called upon the children and youth to have a high aim in life and strive to acquire good and useful values that make life meaningful and sublime. CMS Manager Prof Geeta Gandhi Kingdon welcomed the guests and said that good films impact children’s minds with good human values and make them ideal world citizens enriched with positive thinking, progressive ideas and a visionary approach in life.

After the inaugural function, the ICFF-2024 opened with the screening of the film, 'Vishva Ekta ke Pathik- Dr. Jagdish Gandhi'. This film portrays the commitment of this great leader, Dr Jagdish Gandhi, to the cause of Education, World Unity and World Peace. It portrays the life of Dr. Jagdish Gandhi and his contribution to the world of education, social uplift and all-round development of the children.

A press conference was held on this occasion where famous film personalities met the journalists and expressed their views. Renowned film actor, Mr Brijendra Kala said that it is the school that guides the children. It is a praiseworthy and unique initiative of CMS to use visual media as a tool for the character-building of children. Film actress Suhani Sareen said that parents must encourage their children to see entertaining children's films. Similarly, film actors Rudra Soni and Krish Soni opined in one voice that this festival will help children explore their latent talents. On this occasion, CMS Founder-Director, Dr Bharti Gandhi expressed her heartfelt gratitude towards all the special guests who had arrived here to encourage the children.