Manisha Koirala
INDIAN ACTOR
NOW PLAYING
SCIFF 2025 Festival Trailer
10th Edition · 2026
Bringing the World to Every Child Through Cinema
SCIFF is LXL Foundation’s global school-based children’s film festival, bringing meaningful world cinema into schools to build empathy, creativity, visual literacy and Human Capability Development.
Entering its 10th edition in 2026, SCIFF makes meaningful cinema and cultural learning accessible to every child, regardless of geography or privilege.
Vision 2030: Reach 10 Million Children
10th
EDITION
40,000+
SCHOOLS
8M+
CHILDREN
100+
CURATED FILMS
30+
COUNTRIES
01
What Is SCIFF?
More than a film festival. A global cinematic learning movement.
Launched in 2017, SCIFF is a school-based film festival that brings exceptional Indian and Global cinema directly to students, giving them access to stories they may otherwise never experience.
What takes us a year to discover and curate, students experience in just 2 weeks.
02
Why SCIFF Matters
Children have more content than ever. But less opportunity to understand it.
SCIFF transforms cinema from passive entertainment into meaningful learning—helping children build empathy, reflection, creativity, visual literacy and essential human capabilities.
A Festival in 3 Movements
SCIFF is built around 3 integrated cinematic learning pathways: WATCH – LEARN – MAKE. Together, they transform cinema from a viewing experience into a powerful medium for Human Capability Development, creative expression and future-ready learning.
Watch Cinema
Films that open the world to a classroom
Children watch age-appropriate, curated films from India and around the world, discovering diverse cultures, emotions, identities and perspectives. Each film is selected to spark curiosity, build empathy and inspire meaningful conversations.
WATCH DATES: 14 NOVEMBER TO 5 DECEMBER 2026
- 100+ CURATED FILMS
- 30+ COUNTRIES
- 20+ LANGUAGES
- STUDENT FILMS
Festival Films
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Learn Cinema
Learning the language of storytelling
Students go beyond watching films to understand the art, language and power of cinema. Through an online certificate programme featuring workshops, masterclasses, filmmaker interactions and visual literacy sessions, students and teachers explore storytelling, media literacy and creative communication.
LEARN DATES: 14 NOVEMBER TO 15 DECEMBER 2026
- 12 MASTER CLASSES
- LMS BASED LEARNING
- PROJECT SUBMISSIONS
- CERTIFICATION
Make Cinema
Every school becomes a studio.
SCIFF empowers students to become creators, not just consumers. Make is a student filmmaking competition for young storytellers to create original films and gain global recognition.
- FILMMAKING COMPETITION
- GLOBAL RECOGNITION
- WINNING STUDENTS JOIN INTL. FESTIVAL JURY
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15 JANUARY 2027
A Festival Hosted by Schools
We don’t bring children to the festival. We bring the festival to children.
SCIFF is designed to be hosted easily within schools. With curated films, structured learning resources and a simple implementation format, schools can create a meaningful film festival experience on campus with minimal effort.
01
Easy to Host
02
Flexible to Implement
03
Inclusive by Design
04
Scalable Across Schools
SCIFF Honours 2026
Celebrating the Schools and Students Who Bring Cinema to Life
SCIFF Honours recognises the schools and students who make the festival exceptional. Schools can earn recognition as Official SCIFF Host Schools, Schools of Distinction and SCIFF School Award-winners. Students are recognised with SCIFF Young Filmmaker Awards.
01
Official SCIFF Host School
Recognition for schools that bring the festival to their campus.
02
School of Distinction
For schools that go further in depth, participation and impact.
03
SCIFF School Award
The festival's highest school honour for exceptional hosting.
04
Young Filmmaker Awards
Celebrating students whose original films stand out globally.
Hosting SCIFF is an achievement. Bringing it to life deserves recognition.
Archives
Trailers from past editions
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The Jury
JURY MEMBERS OVER THE YEARS
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Jaya Bachchan
ACTOR, RAJYA SABHA MP
Sayani Gupta
ACTOR
Pinkey Singh
PRINCIPAL, ROYALE CONCORDE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, BANGALORE
Mirjam Marks
FILMMAKER, NETHERLANDS
John Edmund
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR, QUEENSLAND FILM FESTIVAL
Isabelle Morin
AUTHOR-COMPOSER, FRANCE
Dhimant Vyas
ANIMATION FILMMAKER-EDUCATOR, IDC, IIT BOMBAY
Pauline Mazenod
FILM DISTRIBUTOR, FRANCE
Nina Sabnani
ANIMATION FILMMAKER, EDUCATOR
Aya Al-Blouchi
PROGRAMMER AND YOUTH PROGRAMMES SPECIALIST, AJYAL FILM FESTIVAL, DOHA
Marie-Pauline Mollaret
HEAD, SHORT FILMS COMMITTEE, CANNES FESTIVAL
Vikramaditya Motwane
FILMMAKER
Eric Bilodeau
DIRECTOR, PROVIDENCE CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL
Laura Azevedo
DIRECTOR, BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL
Rajeev Masand
FILM CRITIC
Sriram Raghavan
FILMMAKER - SCREENWRITER
Global Partnerships
Connecting children through global cinema
LXL Foundation and SCIFF have built collaborations with leading international film festivals, cultural institutions, filmmakers, and global cinematic learning ecosystems to expand children’s access to meaningful world cinema, storytelling, visual literacy, and creative exchange.
FRANCE
ITALY
SOUTH KOREA
RUSSIA
Doha Film Festival
QATAR
INDIA
BRICS Educational Film & Media Association
INTERNATIONAL
USA
NETHERLANDS
RUSSIA
GERMANY
USA
USA
SMILE PARTNER 2025
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PARTNER 2025
Cultural and Educational Institutions From
- India
- France
- Australia
- Canada
- Russia
Why Partner With SCIFF?
Scale. Credibility. Meaningful impact.
SCIFF offers CSR partners, governments, foundations, cultural institutions, and international organisations an implementation-ready platform for Human Capability Development through cinema. The programme combines proven reach, educational alignment, measurable outcomes, international credibility, and operational simplicity.
Alignment
- NEP 2020
- SDGS 3, 4, 5, 10 & 16
- OECD LEARNING COMPASS
- UNICEF TRANSFERABLE SKILLS FRAMEWORK
- SCHEDULE VII CSR COMPLIANCE
WHY SCIFF
- 01Proven reach across 40,000+ schools
- 02Strong government school deployment capability
- 03Low-resource implementation model
- 04Impact measurement framework
- 05Digital reporting systems
- 06International credibility and partnerships
The Team
The people behind the festival.
Syed Sultan Ahmed
FOUNDER & FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Neha Jain
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sanjana Vijaynidhi
PARTNERSHIPS & STRATEGIC ALLIANCES LEAD
Mohit Naik
FESTIVAL OPERATIONS LEAD
Sidra Fariah
FILM PROGRAMME LEAD
Pramod Somashekar
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Praveen D
PRODUCT MANAGER
Niharika Bajaj
COMMUNICATIONS LEAD
Seraphin M
FESTIVAL COORDINATOR
Meghana G L
PRODUCT SUPPORT
News
The festival in print
Press coverage from newsrooms following the festival as it travels from school to school.
Register
Join the Movement
Whether you are a school, filmmaker, CSR partner, government institution, cultural organisation, or supporter of children’s education, there is a place for you in the SCIFF movement.
Together, we can ensure that meaningful stories reach every child.
Festival Fees
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TOTAL₹0
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Make Cinema — Film Submission
Entry fee for a student film submitted to the SCIFF Make Cinema competition.
₹1,000