Even as the country enters the festive season this month, children can look forward to a time of fun and frolic as Gajju, The Golden Elephant, comes visiting for the fifteenth time with a wide variety of films in the largest children’s festival of its kind in this part of the world.
A total of just over 40 films including several highly acclaimed productions will compete for the top award in the International Competition while another twenty will vie for the awards in the Asian Panorama sections of the International Children’s Film Festival, THE GOLDEN ELEPHANT – 15, in Hyderabad. This was stated by CFSI Chairperson, Mr. Nafisa Ali at a press conference today.
The Festival will commence on “Children’s Day”, which also marks the 119^th birth anniversary of the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on 14 November and conclude with the Awards Ceremony of the Golden Elephant on 20 November. Held every alternate year, this internationally acclaimed Festival is organised by the Children’s Film Society, India, a media unit of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in collaboration with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh.Over 300 entries were received from about 40 countries, and a Selection Committee of experts from film and allied fields then short-listed the entries for competition.
An international jury chaired by renowned short filmmaker Mike Pandey will judge the films in the International competition. The international jury also includes veteran filmmaker V G Samant, New Zealand producer Mathew Horrocks, Andi Spark of Griffith Film School in Brisbane (Australia), veteran journalist and National award winner Vasiraju Prakasam, and writer and social worker Dr K. V. Krishna Kumari.  
The Asian Panorama jury is chaired by Bulgaria’s animator and filmmaker Ms Tsvetomira Niikolova, and other members are Poland’s Izabela Wierzbinska who heads an International Animation Film Festival, actresses Mrinal Kulkarni and S. Rojaramani, and  eminent filmmaker Relangi Narasimha Rao.
In addition, a children’s jury will be set up to judge the films from the perspective of the young. The jury comprises five children: singer Ms Bhavya Pandit, child prodigy in mathematics Master Nischal Narayana, and child artistes Master T. Saikumar, Master Vishu Teja and Ms Sruthakirthy
“THE GOLDEN ELEPHANT” has many interesting sections such as 1) International Competition; 2) Asian Panorama; 3) The Children’s World; 4) Special screenings; 5) Creative workshops (animation), and 6) Special events for children.
There are 26 films in the non-competitive Children’s World and twenty films in the special screenings. 
The International Jury will award the following prizes for films included in the International Competition Section:

1. The Golden Elephant Plus Rs.2,00,000 (US $ 4600 approx.) for the Best Feature Length film-live action fiction (more than 60 mins.)
2. The Silver Elephant Plus Rs.1,00,000 for the Best Feature length film - live action fiction (more than 60 mins.)
3. The Silver Elephant Plus Rs.1,00,000 for the second Best Short film - live action fiction (60 mins or less)
4. The Silver Elephant Plus Rs. 1,00,000 for the Best Animation Film (both feature length & short film)
5. The Silver Elephant Plus Rs. 1,00,000 for the Best Non-fiction film (information, research/ documentation/entertainment) film.
6. The Silver Elephant Plus Rs. 1,00,000 for the Best Director.
7. The Silver Elephant Plus Rs. 1,00,000 for best music score (either background score or songs)
8. The Silver Elephant Plus Rs. 1,00,000 to the Best Child Artist from a film in the International Competition Section.

The Children's Jury will award a Golden Plaque plus Rs.1, 00,000 for the film from the International Competition Section.
The awards in the Asian Panorama section, comprising the best of films from Asia and the Asia-Pacific Region, are:

·         The Silver Elephant plus Rs. 1,00,000 for the Best Feature Length Film in the Asian Panorama Section.

·         The Silver Elephant plus Rs. 1,00,000 for the Best Short Film in the Asian Panorama Section.

·         The Silver Elephant plus Rs. 1,00,000 for the Best Child Artiste from a Film in the                 Asian Panorama Section.

The Inaugural and the Closing Functions will be held at the prestigious open air theatre “Lalit Kala Thoranam” in Public Gardens , and the main venue of the festival will be the four screens of IMAX theatre. In addition, festival films will be screened in five other city theatres: Sudha, Ravindra, Aaradhana, Sairanga and Hari Hara Kala Bhavan. 
Around three hundred children aged 10 to 16 years from all over the country will attend the Festival as State Guests for the festival. A large number of filmmakers from several countries including Brazil, China, France and Iran apart from India are expected to attend the Festival.