Films trigger the imagination of children which are our greatest national resource, serving as activation devices that set off their productive energy; prompting in them life-long creative flair. Films bring us the awareness about what lies in the heart must be heard and honed. Educational movies like the ones brought by the festival for children to view acquaint them with their own latent creative potential and with the social problems that surround them. These views were shared by University of Sindh (UoS) Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat in his presidential remarks at the opening ceremony of the fifth three-day International Children’s Film Festival organised by UoS Institute of Art & Design in collaboration with The Little Art (TLA). Thanking TLA team and felicitating the art and design squad, UoS VC Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat said that visual medium was the most influential of all communication channels that left an indelible mark on people’s minds and hearts. “I am pleased to know that 59 international standard copyright movies made, directed and produced by professionals of the world coming out from 17 countries including Holland, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Australia, United States, Iraq, Iran and several other countries from almost all continents are being screened for Jamshoro and suburban schools, colleges and varsity students to view, enjoy and learn from,” Dr Burfat said. Sindh government’s Auqaf Department Chief Administrator and the event’s chief guest Munawar Ali Mahesar asserted that he found it to his utter pleasure to learn that movies of minimum three minutes to maximum of feature time of three hours were scheduled to be projected during the festival. Munawar Ali Mahesar congratulated the host team and the collaborating organisation saying he was utterly delighted to note that five films made by UoS students were also among the movies that would be screened at the festival, adding that movies shown would go a long way towards inculcating core human values in children’s thought system, sculpting them into what they ought to be sensitive, caring and thoughtful individuals. ‘I’m pleased to know that 59 international standard copyright movies made, directed and produced by professionals of the world are coming out from 17 countries including Holland, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Australia, US, Iraq, Iran and several others from almost all continents’ Institute of Art & Design Director Professor Saeed Ahmed Mangi in his welcome note informed that the movies being put on display were educational in essence and covered a broad range of themes in the form of a strong moral message to be deconstructed by the audiences. He elaborated that the diverse film topics included nature, environment, social issues, societal behaviour, education, human rights, gender, peace, interfaith harmony and pressing social issues. TLA Senior Development Manager Umar Ejaz in his speech on the occasion, informed that the movies they had brought to show at UoS were generally screened at all major and leading children film festivals across the globe, adding that the given festival was itinerant in nature and travelled the world over. On the occasion, lifetime achievement awards were given to senior Pakistan Television Producer Dr Ghulam Mustafa Solangi and renowned Sindhi showbiz icon Shahnaz Bhatti. Parallel to the screening of the movies, a one-day workshop on filmmaking for students of art and design and an art exhibition displaying 50 paintings of artists from Lahore and another 50 of Sindh was also organised on the occasion. Towards the end, shields and appreciation certificates were distributed among the organising committee members and event volunteers. Prominent among those who attended the event were Culture Additional Secretary Naseer Narejo, Sharif University of Technology Association President Professor Dr Nek Muhammad Shaikh, Dr Farida Panhwar, Professor Naimatullah Khilji, Baloch Model School Principal Dr NA, Dr Farida Sheikh, Dr Umed Ali Rind, UoS Sports Director Professor Nabila Shah Jeelani and Mukhtiar Bhatti among others. Published in Daily Times, February 27th 2019.