Over a thousand students from a dozen elementary schools and 13 high schools in Parañaque were recently treated to free screenings of classic children’s movies at SM City BF Parañaque, SM City Bicutan and SM City Sucat. These included critically-acclaimed movies, like “Every Child is Special” from India and “Children of Heaven” from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

A joint project of MTRCB and the City of Parañaque, with support from the Embassy of India, the Cultural Section of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and SM, “Children’s Classics” was a two-day, simultaneous screening events at three SM malls featuring educational and family movies from the embassies. 

This is in celebration of the 3rd Sunduan Festival of the City of Parañaque, and in line with the “Matalinong Panonood Program” of the MTRCB, which aims to raise public awareness on the revised classification rating for movies and television. 

“Every Child is Special,” also known as “Like Stars on Earth” (Taare Zameen Par), is a 2007 Indian drama film about an eight-year old student and the events that lead to the discovery of his Dyslexia by a new boarding school teacher. It won Best Film on Family Welfare in 2007 at India’s prestigious National Film Awards, and was India’s official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category. The screening was made possible by the Embassy of India.

“Children of Heaven” is a 1997 Iranian drama film about the hard work shown by a brother to make up to his sister after accidentally losing her only pair of shoes. In 1998, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, which was followed by numerous showings and awards in prominent international film festivals. The screening was made possible by the Cultural Section of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Manila.

Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez and 1st District Representative Eric Olivarez, together with MTRCB Chairman Toto Villareal made the gathering even more meaningful with their inspiring video messages about responsible watching. Also present were the MTRCB board members and vice chairman Emmanuel Borlaza. 

Students at SM City BF Parañaque got to witness a rare performance by the Bamdad Musical Ensemble. Bamdad Musical Ensemble is a world-class group of folk musicians introducing traditional Iranian music and instruments through the help of Dr. Bahman Samadi and Dr. Mohammad Hossein Ahmadi of the Cultural Section of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Dr. Mohammad Reza Kaka of Iran’s Islamic Culture Relations Organization.