150 films from 40 countries are being screened  

New Delhi, January 29, 2025: Ambassador of the European Union, H. E. Mr. Hervé Delphin inaugurates the 11st edition of the Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY) an initiative of Smile Foundation, in New Delhi. Mr. Delphin was accompanied by festival chairman Santanu Mishra and festival director Jitendra Mishra.

Being held in partnership with the European Union (Delegation of the European Union to India), the annual film festival is being organised between Jan 28-30, 2025 at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi, in addition to over 100 locations across India in a hybrid mode. This makes SIFFCY the largest film festival in India. 

SIFFCY 2025 opened with much acclaimed Italian masterpiece, The Tiger’s Nest, directed by Brando Quilici. Young acting sensation Sunny Pawar is in the lead, who has also earned fame for his acting brilliance in Lion and Sacred Games. The Q & A session with Sunny Pawar, which followed the opening screening, made the young audience inspired and mesmerised.

The festival is also screening many widely celebrated films, such as Lampo from Poland, Doubles Match from Taiwan, Bigman from The Netherlands, Winners from Germany, Soaring Wings from India, Greetings from Mars from Germany, 7600 from Iran, A Butterfly’s Heart from Lithuania among others.

Various creative workshops and panel discussions will be held alongside screening of curated films during the festival.

Ambassador of Finland to India, H.E. Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta; Ambassador of Lithuania to India, H.E. Ms. Diana Mickevičienė; Ambassador of Georgia to India, H. E. Mr. Vakhtang Jaoshvili; Ambassador of Ukraine to India, H.E. Dr. Oleksandr Polishchuk; Director, Polish Institute, New Delhi, Ms. Małgorzata Wejsis – Gołębiak; and Director, Italian Cultural Centre, Mr. Andrea Anastasio were among the guests of honour.

The Ambassador of European Union to India, H.E. Mr. Hervé Delphin, addressing the young audience, said, “Cinema is a universal language, a language that talks to the youth. It is the means for young minds to explore and understand the world beyond their surroundings, learn about different cultures and give creativity new wings!” He added: “Europe and India stand as two incredible hubs of cinematographic creativity and culture! The European Union is happy to partner with SIFFCY again this year with films from over 15 EU countries. Starting from Delhi this show will go around cities in India with top movies for youth that will leave a trail of Smiles in its wake!”

“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,” said Mr. Santanu Mishra, SIFFCY Chairman, producer of ‘I am Kalam’ and Co-founder of Smile Foundation.

“We are excited to present the India premiere of the internationally celebrated cinematic masterpiece The Tiger’s Nest, directed by the brilliant Brando Quilici, at our festival this year. There’s much more in store for the Indian audience throughout the week-long event.” said Mr. Jitendra Mishra, SIFFCY Festival Director.

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.

The 11th edition of the Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY) is featuring 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, Ukraine, Nepal, Romania, Serbia, Korea, Singapore, Canada, Japan, Bahrain, Cuba, and India.

Major activities, from the opening ceremony to the award ceremony, are being 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 100 locations across India. Selected programmes will also be streaming on a dedicated, secured, geo-blocked virtual platform throughout the week.

The active participation of the European Union in SIFFCY 2025 is aimed at facilitating cultural exchange between the citizens of India and the European Union countries, due to which a sense of understanding, respect and global brotherhood will be strengthened. The sense of belonging that arises between people through the exchange of culture, art and ideas is beneficial for children and youth, who will shape the future course of humanity.

SIFFCY (Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth) is an initiative by Smile Foundation (www.smilefoundationindia.org) 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/