More than 100 curated films from 25 countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, and the UAE, will be shown in over 40,000 government and 1,000 private schools across the country during the eighth edition of the School Cinema International Film Festival (SCIFF), according to officials. The festival will run from November 14 to 30, reported PTI.
“SCIFF was created with a simple yet powerful idea – that cinema must be accessible to every child, not confined to film festivals or privileged spaces. Films are not just entertainment, they are pedagogical experiences that teach children to see, feel, and think differently,” stated Syed Sultan Ahmed, Festival Director of SCIFF and Founder & Chief Learner at LXL Ideas.
Ahmed highlighted that any school in India can now host a film festival through SCIFF, bringing the world’s finest stories straight to classrooms. He noted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also stresses the importance of creative learning and the use of various media, including cinema, for holistic education.
“Through SCIFF, we aim to nurture a generation that watches with awareness, learns with curiosity, and expresses with empathy. Every frame becomes a classroom – and every story, a lesson in life,” he added.
Prominent global film festivals like the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (France), AniMela Festival (India), Giffoni Film Festival (Italy), and ZERO PLUS International Film Festival (Russia) support SCIFF 2025, contributing to its mission of bringing diverse cinematic voices to Indian schools.
Additionally, the festival receives support from country partners France and Spain.
The 8th edition of SCIFF will commence on Children’s Day, November 14, and continue until November 30, bringing international cinema directly to classrooms across India. Reaching over 40,000 government and 1,000 private schools nationwide, the festival will feature more than 103 curated films from 25 countries in over 20 Indian and foreign languages, Ahmed said.
He elaborated that SCIFF offers students a comprehensive festival experience through its ‘WATCH, LEARN, MAKE’ framework.
“WATCH Cinema transforms schools into cinemas, where age-appropriate, emotionally enriching films spark connections and conversations. LEARN Cinema takes students behind the scenes of filmmaking, with expert-led workshops in scriptwriting, cinematography, sound, and editing, making film education accessible through online masterclasses, even for remote regions. Finally, MAKE Cinema allows students to bring their creativity to life by participating in a filmmaking competition, with the opportunity to join the youth jury for the next edition of SCIF,” he said.
Last year, SCIFF engaged over 23,000 schools and reached more than 100,000 students across India.
Previously known as the International Kids Film Festival (IKFF), SCIFF employs film as a teaching method. Through age-appropriate, thought-provoking storytelling, SCIFF fosters creativity, critical thinking, empathy, and global awareness among students, helping them interact with the world through imagination and dialogue.
Since its inception in 2017, SCIFF has reached over 10 million students and involved over 60,000 schools through school-based screenings, establishing itself as a transformative educational platform that merges art, learning, and social awareness.
