Armed with the latest technology, bustling with energy and minus their parents, the six members of the children's jury at the '8th International Children's Film Festival' had the time of their lives when they were in the City.
They had come all the way from China and Italy to Bangalore for the first time. These teenagers are hardcore film buffs and have watched movies in many languages and at many film festivals. But the experience in India, they say, has been nothing less than fascinating. While most of the day went in watching movies, they also took time out to enjoy Indian food, roam the streets of the City and of course, pick up souvenirs for their families.
The young bunch from China were especially struck by the birds and the greenery in the City.
Tong Yang Qion, who is studying in eighth grade, says, "Icouldn't stop taking pictures of the plants and birds in the sky. Everything is so magical in India."
Xu Jing Yu, another eighth-grader, quickly adds, "In China, we rarely see birds flying so freely in the sky. We look up and all we see are tall buildings."
It's clear that these youngsters know a lot about films, despite their age. "In China, animation is huge. Cartoons are very popular and the characters are also different — but there is more to Chinese films than just cartoons," says Hu Dongzi, who is studying in class eight.
Language, they say, is no barrier at all. Whenever they have a problem, all they have to do is to check their phones for answers. Another jury member from Italy, Francesco Avallone, 14, understands that film-making is a form of expression. "I can see what goes on through the actions — the language doesn't matter. I like comedies and thrillers and have watched the Indian movie Iqbal. I believe that India is a beautiful country and has a lot more to offer," he says.
And it's not just kiddie movies that these little ones enjoy. Xu says that he enjoys a lot of documentaries and action flicks like Jackie Chan movies.
"I also watched '3 Idiots' recently and loved the way Rancho (played by Aamir Khan) thinks," he adds.
Alessio Parmenjole, 13, from Italy, says that he doesn't like children's movies all that much. "I am yet to come across a really good children's film. So far, Ihave found all of them very boring. I hope this festival will have some good movies to offer," he adds.
Food and shopping were definitely on their minds. While Xu wanted to gorge on Indian cuisine, Tong added that she will buy something for everyone back home. She isn't the only one. "I had such a good time in India that I want to take a bit of it back home too," says Yao Zhen Yi, also an eighth-grader and part of the jury.
They had come all the way from China and Italy to Bangalore for the first time. These teenagers are hardcore film buffs and have watched movies in many languages and at many film festivals. But the experience in India, they say, has been nothing less than fascinating. While most of the day went in watching movies, they also took time out to enjoy Indian food, roam the streets of the City and of course, pick up souvenirs for their families.
The young bunch from China were especially struck by the birds and the greenery in the City.
Tong Yang Qion, who is studying in eighth grade, says, "Icouldn't stop taking pictures of the plants and birds in the sky. Everything is so magical in India."
Xu Jing Yu, another eighth-grader, quickly adds, "In China, we rarely see birds flying so freely in the sky. We look up and all we see are tall buildings."
It's clear that these youngsters know a lot about films, despite their age. "In China, animation is huge. Cartoons are very popular and the characters are also different — but there is more to Chinese films than just cartoons," says Hu Dongzi, who is studying in class eight.
Language, they say, is no barrier at all. Whenever they have a problem, all they have to do is to check their phones for answers. Another jury member from Italy, Francesco Avallone, 14, understands that film-making is a form of expression. "I can see what goes on through the actions — the language doesn't matter. I like comedies and thrillers and have watched the Indian movie Iqbal. I believe that India is a beautiful country and has a lot more to offer," he says.
And it's not just kiddie movies that these little ones enjoy. Xu says that he enjoys a lot of documentaries and action flicks like Jackie Chan movies.
"I also watched '3 Idiots' recently and loved the way Rancho (played by Aamir Khan) thinks," he adds.
Alessio Parmenjole, 13, from Italy, says that he doesn't like children's movies all that much. "I am yet to come across a really good children's film. So far, Ihave found all of them very boring. I hope this festival will have some good movies to offer," he adds.
Food and shopping were definitely on their minds. While Xu wanted to gorge on Indian cuisine, Tong added that she will buy something for everyone back home. She isn't the only one. "I had such a good time in India that I want to take a bit of it back home too," says Yao Zhen Yi, also an eighth-grader and part of the jury.