GUWAHATI, July 31 - Two films made by the students of NPS International School, Guwahati, were screened at the 45th Giffoni International Film Festival in Italy recently and were highly appreciated by experts, including Hollywood stars like Tom Felton, Martin Freeman, Darren Criss and Orlando Bloom.
Three NPS students � Hrishiraj Sawan (class IX), Dicha Boro (class VIII) and Trishna Saha (class VIII) were also selected as members of the �jury+13� during the 45th edition of Europe�s largest children�s film festival.
Assam Bamboo Craft and We are Same Same But Different were screened in the film festival which was attended by the representatives of 42 countries that included 3,300 students and 420 delegates. NPS was the only nominee from India during the film festival that concluded on July 26.
Interacting with students after attending the screening of the films, Harry Potter-fame Thomas Andrew �Tom� Felton was all praise for the students of NPS for their creativity in both the films. �Hollywood superstar Felton�s words of appreciation were really encouraging for our students,� said JN Das, director of NPS, who led the Indian delegation to the festival.
Das added that soon after screening of both the films, the global community attending the film festival, especially some of the experts in the field, thanked them and wanted to know much about Northeast India, especially its culture, traditions and food habits, etc.
People attending the screening of Assam Bamboo Craft also showed curiosity to know about the forest cover of the region, especially about the types of bamboos and their utility in diverse fields.
English actor Martin Freeman also spoke highly about both the movies made by the NPS students. �It was really encouraging for all of us to meet Hollywood superstars like Freeman, Felton, Darren Criss and Orlando Bloom. It was a lifetime experience for us,� said Hrishiraj. Hrishiraj along with Dicha and Trishna had the privilege to judge some of the films made by children in the age group 13 to 15 years.
�We were selected to judge seven films. Accordingly, we voted and selected films in such a mega forum,� Hrishiraj said, adding that during the interaction, the Hollywood stars gave them tips on various topics, including fundamentals of making movies and judging films.
Showcasing the marvels of the Northeast, the NPS students elaborated on the bamboo craft of Assam through their film Assam Bamboo Craft. The other film, We are Same Same But Different is a documentary based on discrimination against the people of the Northeast in the so-called mainland India.
