GECs
18th ICFF gets over 100 films made by child directors for next edition
NEW DELHI: A total of more than 845 entries have been received from over 70 countries for the 18th International Children’s Film Festival, India (ICFF), popularly known as ‘The Golden Elephant’, to be held in Hyderabad in November.
The Festival, which is traditionally held every second year alternating with the Mumbai International Film Festival for short films, will also have films from twenty countries like Austria, Chile, Cuba, Lebanon, and Ghana that were not represented in the last edition in 2011. The Festival will as usual be held from 14 to 20 November.
Chairman of the Children’s Film Society India Amole Gupte said, “We have received an overwhelming response this year and we aim to make the festival bigger and better than ever before. The number of entries for the section ‘Little Directors’ which will feature films made by children is over 100.”
CFSI CEO and festival director Shravan Kumar added that there were many ‘firsts’ in this festival. “Some of the ICFF films have been sourced from Cannes Film Market, allowing us to pick a selection of the latest children’s films, awaiting their World/Asian Premiers. ICFF has received 26 films from south America, a region barely represented in the earlier editions. We have also received 255 animation films from around the world.”
The Lalitha Kala Thoranam – built in 1986 for the International Film Festival of India – will be the venue for the inaugural and closing ceremony this year and the films will be screened at Prasad IMAX Multiplex and seven other theatres.
This was decided in the first organising committee meeting held in Hyderabad recently attended among others by Andhra Pradesh chief secretary Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Bimal Julka, I&B Joint Secretary (Films) Raghuvendra Singh, and Dr. Shravan Kumar.
The festival will present four competitive sections. The best film would bag the Golden Elephant trophy and Rs two lakh in cash and and the second best feature will bag the Golden Elephant Plaque with Rs one lakh in cash.
The Festival will also focus on “Children with Special Needs” through its Open Forum, where filmmakers will interact with activists, educators and parents. Films representing children with special needs will also be screened.
A Master-Class Workshop on how to market Indian Children’s films internationally will be organised in collaboration with Cine-Kid, Amsterdam, the world’s most popular children’s film market.
The festival will also be bringing the best of Czech children’s cinema in the Country Focus section, including animations created by world renowned Czech animators, in collaboration with Zlin Film Festival – the oldest children’s film festival in the world.
Kumar added, “We are sourcing international award winning films featured in the 20 most prestigious International children’s film festivals including Dutch nomination for the Academy Awards and other recent children’s films that have won or featured in Berlinale, Toronto, Cannes, etc.”
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
