The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Contest to promote films on issues related to the girl child

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 30, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Contest to promote films on issues related to the girl child

Staff Reporter

It is part of an effort by Prasar Bharati and UNICEF to facilitate discussion

FOR THE GIRL CHILD: Writer U.R. Ananthamurthy, actor Tara and State Representative of the UNICEF office in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Michel Saint-Lot at a press conference in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Prasar Bharati and UNICEF are organising a competition for an award for the best film on the girl child from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking at an event to announce the launch of the competition on Thursday, Vikas Verma, Communication Officer of UNICEF for Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, said the two organisations were conducting the competition to keep up the momentum on the discourse of issues related to the girl child.

The competition is for films in Kannada and silent films. It will focus on three issues — early marriage, trafficking and vulnerability of women to HIV/AIDS. Interested applicants can send in their work in any one of three formats — a short film of 10 to 15 minutes, TV spot of 30 to 45 seconds, and radio jingles.

Michel Saint-Lot, State Representative of the UNICEF office in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, quoted from "Violence against Children", prepared by the Union Government in 2005, and said 65 per cent of girls were married before they completed 18 years. There were four lakh child prostitutes in the country, and 15 per cent of them were forced into prostitution between the age group of 15 to 18 years.

He urged filmmakers to come up with sensitive portrayals of issues that highlighted not only the negative aspects but also positive steps taken by the Government and non-governmental organisations.

Writer U.R. Ananthamurthy requested filmmakers to take into account the experiences of girl children.

Actor Tara said more should be done to improve the condition of women in the country.

A film will be chosen for the award after special jury screenings and an audience poll to be conducted by Doordarshan Saptagiri/Rainbow FM via SMS, Mr. Verma said. The last date for entering the competition is August 31.

Details of the competition and the application form are available on www.unicef.org/India.

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