Lucknow : The International Children’s Film Festival (ICFF-2026), organized by City Montessori School, concluded today at the CMS Kanpur Road Auditorium. The Chief Guest, Sanjay Prasad, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister, UP, inaugurated the closing and award distribution ceremony and honoured the best children’s films from across the globe with cash prizes in various categories. On this occasion, the event was further graced by the presence of Special Guests Suryapal Gangwar, IAS, Secretary to Chief Minister and Navneet Singh Chahal, Special Secretary to Chief Minister. Besides, Actor Rohit Bhatt, film director Sushen Bhatnagar and child artist Swara Mishra also attended the event to encourage the children and added charm to the event with their presence.
Addressing the gathering at the closing ceremony, Chief Guest Sanjay Prasad said that educational children’s films play a vital role in the holistic development of children. He noted that mainstream violence-oriented films can negatively impact young minds, and in such a scenario, CMS’s film festival provides an ideal platform for imparting life values to children. Indeed, he described the festival as a wonderful celebration of childhood. Welcoming the Chief Guest and other distinguished dignitaries, CMS Manager Prof. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon said that character building and life values are integral parts of education, and this spirit was clearly reflected in the festival. She emphasized that the objective of the film festival is to inspire the younger generation to develop strong character and rise above barriers of caste, race, and religion, fostering love, harmony, and brotherhood to become responsible global citizens.
During the award ceremony, the best children’s films from various countries were honoured with cash prizes across different categories. The winners were selected by an international jury comprising Lalith Ratnayake from Sri Lanka, Urja Acharya from Nepal and V. Pakirisamy, Mr. Y. Srinivas,
Vishal Vijayrao Shinde and Neha Mohajir from India. Additionally, three CMS students namely Divyansh Jha, Akshita Pandey, and Chitranshi Dubey served as child jury members.
The Best Children’s Feature Fiction Award was presented to the Russian film “Follow the Sun.” The film received a golden trophy, a citation, and cash prizes of Rs. 1,00,000 each for the producer and director. The Best Feature Animation Film Award went to the Iranian film “Dreamland,” which also received a golden trophy, citation, and Rs. 1,00,000 each for the producer and director. The Best Short Animation Film Award was jointly awarded to the Mexican film “Azulesepia” and the Taiwanese film “Piggy 1/2.” The respective directors and producers were honoured with a silver trophy, citation, and cash prizes of Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 40,000 respectively. Similarly, the Best Short Fiction Film Award was given to the Indian film “Avni,” with its director and producer receiving Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 40,000 respectively, along with a silver trophy and citation. In the Special Jury Award category, the Dr. Jagdish Gandhi & Dr. Bharti Gandhi Award was presented to the South Korean film “Nail Flower,” whose director and producer were also awarded Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 40,000 respectively, along with a silver trophy and citation. Additionally, the Prof. Geeta Gandhi Audience Award was presented to the Indian film “Mera School.
On the occasion of the festival’s conclusion, Festival Director Ahmed Hameed Shaikh expressed heartfelt gratitude to the people of Lucknow for making the festival a grand success. He expressed confidence that the educational children’s films showcased during the festival would prove to be a milestone in shaping a bright future for children.
