Rejected by Kerala Jury, selected for International Children's Film Festival; 'School Chale Hum' becomes only film from India to compete

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 'School Chale Hum' directed by E.G. Sreekanth is a film that was rejected by the Kerala State Film Awards jury for 'not telling the story from the perspective of children'. Now, the same film has been selected for the competition section of the 44th Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival, being held in Finland. 'School Chale Hum' is among the eight films selected out of 300 films. It is the only film from India.

Director Sreekanth said that the jury was as negative as last time when it came to giving awards to children's films. "Have the best film or actors' award been denied for any reason in the past 55 years? However, for the last two years, no award has been given for the best children's film. This shows the disregard for children's films. 'School Chale Hum' will be shown in schools in Finland."

A viewer who liked the preview of the film in Finland gifted a new mobile phone to Sujay Krishna, the eighth-grader who played one of the central characters in the film.