School children appreciate South Korean film at Osian's

New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) School children 'simply loved' the South Korean film 'The Friends' during a special screening at the ongoing 10th Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival here Monday.

The film is about three 13-year-old boys who know love and loyalty but are unaware of death, which is the only secret that they want to unravel. Gradually, an unexpected opportunity arises for them when they get to know of an old man in the village who is about to die. Thus follows an emotional bond between the four and what happens when the old man dies.

'I liked the movie very much. I was also very comfortable with the subtitles,' Sanjana Mathur, a Class 11 student of Vasant Valley School, said at the Siri Fort auditorium.

'The movie was very touching. It was a reflection on human nature and Indian filmmakers should make such movies,' Rohini Chopra, a Class 9 student from Bluebells International School, said.

Another student, Nishtha Kashyap from the same school, remarked: 'Bollywood movies are bizarre. At least this one made some sense!'

The screening of the film was followed by a question-answer round with Kim Doo Chan, the producer of the movie. Students raised several questions and some shared their personal experiences of having faced someone's death for the first time with the audience.

The enthusiasm among the crowd of almost 1,300 students was an indication of their appreciation of the film.

'The movie got a very good response in Korea and so I thought of screening it in other countries as well. Although the film was basically meant for children only, I was surprised to have seen the massive response that I received here from school kids,' Chan told IANS.

There were students from General Raj Public School, Heritage School, K.R. Mangalam School, Amity International School (Noida), Springdales School, St Paul's School apart from Vasant Valley and Bluebells International.

Screening of an international film will continue for school students for the next four days too. Some students will also get together to enact a short play from one of Shakespeare's world-famous plays.

The teachers accompanying the students too enjoyed the film. They considered it a well directed and educative film.

'It is an emotional movie, inculcates traditional values in children and makes them realize the value of elders,' said Chandveyi Bhattacharya, a teacher of K.R. Mangalam School.