New Delhi; 16 Jan 2025: Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY), hosted by Smile Foundation, in partnership with the European Union (the delegation of the European Union in India) announces the official selection for its 11th edition. The annual film festival is scheduled to take place between Jan 28-30, 2025 at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi and several other locations across India in a hybrid mode, in order to reach out to maximum young Indian audience.

Major activities, from the opening ceremony to the award ceremony, will be held at the iconic Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi on 28,29 and 30 January 2025. Simultaneously, multiple screenings and festival-related activities are scheduled in various schools and communities across a hundred locations across India. Selected programmes will also be streaming on a dedicated, secured, geo-blocked virtual platform throughout the week.

Santanu Mishra, SIFFCY Chairman and Producer of the much-acclaimed film ‘I am Kalam’, says, “Childhood is the 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.”

Official Selection SIFFCY 2025

Feature films in competition:

• Lampo – The Dog who travelled by train, by Magdalena Niec, Poland
• Doubles Match, by Hung Po-Hao, Taiwan
• Bigman, by Camiel Schouwenaar, The Netherlands
• Winners, by Soleen yusef, Germany
• Soaring Wings, by Palash Das, India
• Greetings from Mars, by Sarah Winkenstette, Germany
• 7600, by Behrooz Bagheri, Iran
• A Butterfly’s Heart, by Inesa Kurklietytė, Lithuania
• The Tiger’s Nest, by Brando Quilici, Italy
• Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights, by Kari Juusonen, Jørgen Lerdam, Finland, Germany
• The boy with pink Pants, by Margherita Ferri, Italy
• Itty Bitty Princess, By Lauri Maijala, Finland
• Teacher, Veterinarian, Astronaut, by Reynaldo Escoto, Mexico

Short films in competition:

• Above the Tamarind Tree, by Buthyna Al-Mohammadi, Qatar
• Dandelions Girl, Azadeh Masihzadeh, Iran
• Ballad of the Mountain, by Tarun Jain, India
• Skin Color, by Fidel Alfonso Barboza Gómez, Sebastián Castaño, Colombia
• Travelling Past, by Rory Power-Gibb, The United Kingdom
• Skipping Rope, by Wu Meryl, Taiwan
• Who needs Teachers? by Ekal Deep Kaur, India
• Forever Seven, by Antje Heyn, Alexander Isert, Germany
• AB OVO, by Oleksandr Viken, Stas Marchenko, Ukraine

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

• A Dragon in name only, New Zealand
• And the boy was a bird, India
• Bedtime Guardian, The United Kingdom
• Cut the Tie, Greece
• I am Mutya and I Thank You! The Philippines
• Until the bell rings, Colombia
• The Day you were gone, France
• What is A.D.H.D, China
• Rebell, India

Poland is the country of honour, whereas Italy is the country of focus in SIFFCY 2025. A curated selection of some of the finest Polish and Italian films for the young audience is going to be presented during the festival.

Jitendra Mishra, SIFFCY Festival Director says, “We have carefully selected films from a diverse range of genres and countries of origin, ensuring that each one offers a unique narrative. Most of the feature films will have their Indian premiere at our festival, with some even making their world debut. We hope our efforts will not only showcase the best of global cinema but also inspire young audiences to think critically, broaden their horizons, and foster a deeper appreciation for the cultural, social, and emotional stories that shape our world.”

The 11th edition of the Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY) will feature over 150 films, that include feature films, animation, short films, and documentaries, created by professional filmmakers, children, and students from more than 40 countries. The participating countries include the USA, Australia, the UK, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Chile, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, Estonia, Slovenia, Sweden, Malaysia, Argentina, Colombia, Lithuania, Brazil, Iran, China, Russia, Ukraine, Nepal, Romania, Serbia, Korea, Singapore, Canada, Japan, Bahrain, Cuba, and India.

The selected films will be showcased in five distinct sections, viz. International Competition (both feature and short films), 70MM Smile (World Panorama), The Yellow Carpet (Indian Showcase), Next-Gen (Films made by film students), and Take One (Films made by children).

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

SIFFCY is an initiative of 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/