Ten Kolkata youth to participate in UNICEF film contest

Kolkata, Aug 5 (ANI): Ten youngsters in the age group of 12 to 25, from a UNICEF workshop on filmmaking in Kolkata, make it to the global short film contest.

The workshop was organised to equip the children with filmmaking techniques and also prepare them for the contest.

The contest 'One minute youth video films' is organised by UNICEF as part of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

During the workshop, the children were given opportunities to voice their opinions on child rights including right to education, social development, sanitation and their perceptions on how child rights are violated.

Lori Calvo, State Representative UNICEF said that the purpose of this workshop is to encourage children and young people and to assure them that their opinions matter and that they have a right to voice them.

"UNICEF has organised this workshop so that children will be able to express their thinking, the challenges they are facing, their desires with regard to health, to protection, to education, hygiene and sanitation," she added.

Currently, these youngsters are in the process of filming their stories.

Shankhamala Ray, 24, whose story on 'Right to Joy' was selected for filming for the one-minute video, said she was grateful for the training provided by UNICEF on filming techniques.

"I want to thank UNICEF for giving me the chance to make a film on my own. I have learnt all the basics of filmmaking at the workshop organised by UNICEF," she added.

Right from idealising to filming, they are doing it all by themselves. Camerawork, acting, finalizing locations and so on are all done by them. The last date for submission of the films is August 30, 2009. (ANI)