Celebrates Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility through Good Cinema

New Delhi; 20 January 2026: Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY), an initiative of Smile Foundation, announces the official selection for the 12^th edition of the annual film festival scheduled to take place from Jan 28 till Feb 3, 2026 across several locations in India.

The theme of this year’s festival is Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, which is being celebrated in partnership with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India and the Delegation of the European Union to India.

This year too, SIFFCY will be organised in a hybrid format, enabling the festival to reach a wider and more diverse young audience across the country. The key festival events, including the opening and award ceremonies, workshops, panel discussions and major premiers will take place at PHD House, New Delhi, from 28 to 31 January 2026. Simultaneously, multiple film screenings and associated activities will be conducted in numerous schools and communities across more than 100 locations nationwide.

In addition, a curated selection of programmes will be available on the festival’s secure, geo-blocked virtual platform, allowing audiences across India to engage with the festival throughout the week. This is a non-profit initiative that is entirely Free of Charge (Non-Ticketed) and fully accessible to all, on pre-registrations basis.

Official Selection 2026

Feature Films in Competition:

1. Elvis Starling by Boris Jurjaševič from Slovenia
2. The Crown Prince and the Return of the Tyrant by Tord Danielsson from Sweden
3. Stitch Head by Steve Hudson from Germany, Luxembourg
4. I Accidentally Wrote a Book by Nóra Lakos from Netherlands, Hungary
5. Grandpa, Let’s Go! By Olga Chajdas from Poland, Czech Republic
6. Bird of a Different Feather by Manohara K from India
7. The Prank by Benjamin Heisenberg from Germany, Switzerland
8. Dupki by Abhay Punjabi from India
9. The Treasurer and Secret of the Magic Silverpiece by Tomasz Jurkiewicz, Poland
10. Bear Cubs on the Green by Yin-Sheng Lin from Taiwan

Short Films in Competition:

1. Deva Aaj Pan Vhey by Amol Jadhav from India
2. Down in the Dumps by Vera Van Wolferen from the Netherlands
3. Martha and Mary by Verónica Ramírez from Mexico
4. Songs of Springs by Swaraj Priyo from India
5. Fly, bird, fly! By Rabeah Rahimi from Germany
6. To Fly by Mohsen Khademi from Iran
7. Hoofs on Skates by Ignas Meilūnas from Lithuania

Films nominated for Next-Gen Award (Films made by Students):

1. U.R.B.Y from Singapore
2. Malmequer em Flor from Portugal
3. The Ramune Soda Girl from Taiwan
4. Till the Sun Set from the United Kingdom
5. Yungay from Spain
6. Chitrit from India
7. The Lie of the Mountain God from China
8. Upya from India
9. Primitiv from Malaysia

This year, SIFFCY is highlighting Poland’s rich cinematic legacy by dedicating a special day as Poland Day, featuring multiple curated film sections and the presence of several guests from the country. The Netherlands is the Country of Focus for this edition. In addition, the festival will present a thoughtfully curated selection of films for young audiences from Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Sweden and several other countries, offering Indian viewers a diverse and engaging international cinematic experience.

Santanu Mishra, SIFFCY Chairman, Producer of ‘I am Kalam’ and Co-founder of Smile Foundation says, “Childhood is a crucial and decisive phase of human life. The lessons we learn, the habits we make as children, it stays with us forever. Therefore, it is important that we sensitise our youngsters with a positive value system, early.” He adds, “Good cinema can play a crucial role in shaping the young minds, and can even help fight issues such as depression, loneliness, and aggression that children and young adults are getting prone to.”

The 12th edition of the Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY) will showcase over 150 films, including feature films, animation, short films, and documentaries created by professional filmmakers, children, and students from more than 35 countries. The films will be presented across five distinct sections: International Competition (feature and short films), 70MM Smile (World Panorama), The Yellow Carpet (Indian Showcase), Next-Gen (films by film students), and Take One (films made by children).

Festival Director, Jitendra Mishra who himself is a National award winning filmmaker and current president of CIFEJ says, “The 12th edition of SIFFCY celebrates inclusion and diversity through powerful global cinema. With multiple film screenings, workshops, panel discussions, and inspiring international voices, we aim to engage, empower, and broaden young minds through shared stories—offering young audiences a truly global and transformative cultural experience.”

The festival will also host several prestigious awards, including the ECFA Award (European Children’s Film Association), the CIFEJ Award (formed under UNESCO), and the Film Critics Circle of India (FCCI) Award.

Six distinguished jury panels, comprising acclaimed filmmakers, educators, programmers, critics, and industry leaders from over 20 countries, have been constituted to evaluate films across the various competitive sections. In addition, more than 100 young participants from over 30 countries will join online to judge the short films as part of the festival’s Young Jury Programme this year.

SIFFCY is an initiative by Smile Foundation to entertain, engage, educate and empower young minds. It is based on a strong belief that good cinema represents much more than entertainment; rather this is the most powerful medium to depict the reality and emulate values. Film becomes an interesting and engaging alternative to stimulate discussion among young people about vital personal, societal, moral and world issues. https://siffcy.org/