A virtual film festival curated by children and for children aims to encourage the young generation to showcase their talent through creative storytelling. The free online film festival will be held on Facebook from August 14 to 16.

The organisers wish to break the monotony of lockdown that children are going through, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

For the fest, children were told to make films under three categories -- Animation, Drama and Documentary with an objective to showcase expression free of any biases. There are 30 ilms, and some of the titles are Popcorn Girl, Hook, Beti, Rang, Patang, Control, Hope, and Family.

The mix of handpicked films by children on various topics aim to be relevant to young audiences, and the festival will also feature pep talks and filmmaking workshops. The festival is a result of collaboration between Smile Foundation's International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY) and Picture Paathshala.

"The fest will showcase inspiring films made only by children. Various capacity-building online workshops are also part of it," said Santanu Mishra, co-founder and executive trustee, Smile Foundation.