When the programmer of the 'Busan International Kids' Film Festival', CHI Mi-young, was invited to attend the recently-concluded '8th International Children's Film Festival' in the City, she was so excited that she reached here three days before the festival began.
Coming all the way from South Korea to India for the first time, Mi and husband Hong Jong Lee — a professor at the Pukyong National University — wanted to experience Bangalore in all its glory. Armed with a map and a few suggestions from their friends here, they explored the streets, the malls, the gardens and even a couple of eateries in Bangalore.
Speaking to Metrolife, Mi says that the City has a completely different vibe compared to her hometown in South Korea. "Our main aim was to come here to promote South Korean children's films in the festival. But we ended up watching some great cinema and enjoyed the City as well," she says. Having read and heard about India, Mi says that she wanted to rediscover the place by experiencing it herself. "When we think of India and its people, some things that come to our mind are their approach to life, philosophy, beliefs and the beautiful places. Coming here, I could see these. I saw how relaxed people are as they go about their life — the vibrant colours and crowded markets are all very nice," she adds.
Mi reveals that she is very fond of fabrics. And she has picked up plenty of them in Bangalore. "I even picked up a beautiful sari. I fell in love with the different fabrics one gets here," she says.
Her husband, Hong, adds, "The people here are very friendly. When my wife was invited to this festival, I wanted to come along for a nice holiday, some good Indian food and to watch some Indian movies. I even enjoyed my walk through Lalbagh."
But they agree that the main focus of their visit was the film festival and it was a treat to watch. Mi explains that these days, it's very difficult to impress children as they are exposed to so many things on the internet.
"With the kind of things children are exposed to these days, we feel that there is very little innocence left in them. And that makes it very challenging for film-makers to make movies for children. Plus, the money from children's films is not very good — so, many just make short films for children. Hopefully, such fests will encourage people to make more movies for children," she sums up.
Coming all the way from South Korea to India for the first time, Mi and husband Hong Jong Lee — a professor at the Pukyong National University — wanted to experience Bangalore in all its glory. Armed with a map and a few suggestions from their friends here, they explored the streets, the malls, the gardens and even a couple of eateries in Bangalore.
Speaking to Metrolife, Mi says that the City has a completely different vibe compared to her hometown in South Korea. "Our main aim was to come here to promote South Korean children's films in the festival. But we ended up watching some great cinema and enjoyed the City as well," she says. Having read and heard about India, Mi says that she wanted to rediscover the place by experiencing it herself. "When we think of India and its people, some things that come to our mind are their approach to life, philosophy, beliefs and the beautiful places. Coming here, I could see these. I saw how relaxed people are as they go about their life — the vibrant colours and crowded markets are all very nice," she adds.
Mi reveals that she is very fond of fabrics. And she has picked up plenty of them in Bangalore. "I even picked up a beautiful sari. I fell in love with the different fabrics one gets here," she says.
Her husband, Hong, adds, "The people here are very friendly. When my wife was invited to this festival, I wanted to come along for a nice holiday, some good Indian food and to watch some Indian movies. I even enjoyed my walk through Lalbagh."
But they agree that the main focus of their visit was the film festival and it was a treat to watch. Mi explains that these days, it's very difficult to impress children as they are exposed to so many things on the internet.
"With the kind of things children are exposed to these days, we feel that there is very little innocence left in them. And that makes it very challenging for film-makers to make movies for children. Plus, the money from children's films is not very good — so, many just make short films for children. Hopefully, such fests will encourage people to make more movies for children," she sums up.