Minister to consider film-making in school curriculum

Minister for School Education D. Manikya Varaprasad on Wednesday promised to consider the inclusion of film-making as a subject into the school curriculum. Addressing a press conference after watching a special screening of Iranian film Half Mine, Half Yoursat the ongoing International Children’s Film Festival in Hyderabad, he promised to initiate action towards this end.

"The debate about the inclusion of films into the curriculum has started during this film festival. We will take feedback from those involved in the debate and act accordingly,” he said. The special screening was organised for over 400 children from juvenile homes in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts as part of the film festival.

“Special screening is being held for visually-challenged children and children from residential bridge schools. Cultural programmes are being held at Lalitha Kala Thoranam every evening, followed by open screening of the films,” the Commissioner of Information and Public Relations C. Parthasarathi said, sharing the details at the press conference.

Meanwhile, in another press conference, Telugu producer-director Tammareddy Bharadwaja debunked the notion that government subsidies will foster good children’s films. The need of the hour is an attitudinal change coupled with passion towards children’s cinema, he said, while criticising the “proposal” culture in Telugu filmdom whereby financing of a project hinged on the director-actor combination and not on the storyline.