Children's Film Society India (CFSI) was a nodal organisation of
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
that produced
children's films and various TV programs in various Indian languages. Established in 1955, CFSI functioned under the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
and was headquartered in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
.
In March 2022, it was merged with
National Film Development Corporation.
History
The concept of an exclusive cinema for
India's children was mooted by its first Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
, and Children's Film Society, India (CFSI) was founded on 11 May 1955 with
Hriday Nath Kunzru as its first president. The first film produced by CFSI was ''Jaldeep'' (1956), an adventure film directed by
Kidar Sharma also starring
Mala Sinha.
[Children's Film Society of India, Film: Jaldeep]
The Chairperson of CFSI was selected for a duration of three years, and over the years, several notable personalities have remained Chairperson of CFSI including
Sai Paranjpye (twice),
Nafisa Ali (2005–2008),
Nandita Das (2008–2012),
Amol Gupte (2012–2015) and
Mukesh Khanna (2015–2018).
In March 2022, four government-run film and media units including Children's Film Society merged with
National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).
Activities
CFSI produced feature films and short films for children in various languages of India. It organised subsidised shows and distributed film prints. In the last 52 years CFSI had made 114 feature films, 45 short animations, 9 puppet films, as well as 52 short documentaries and news magazines. CFSI also organised an
International Children's Film Festival held every alternate year in India. The films produced by CFSI had participated in many film festivals all over the world and had won many awards.
"Awards won by CFSI films" – CFSI
Selected filmography
See also
* National Film Development Corporation of India
The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) based in Mumbai is the central agency established in 1975, to encourage high quality Indian cinema. It functions in areas of film financing, production and distribution and under the Min ...
(NFDC)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Film organisations in India
Organisations based in Mumbai
Film production companies based in Mumbai
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)
1955 establishments in Bombay State
Government agencies established in 1955
Producers who won the Best Children's Film National Film Award
Youth in India