41,000 Indian Schools to Host School Cinema Festival from November 14
- Over 100 acclaimed films from 25 countries to be screened nationwide
- Festival to reach 41,000 government and private schools
- Aims to promote creativity, empathy, and global awareness through cinema
More than 100 acclaimed films from 25 countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, and the UAE, are set to reach classrooms across India as the eighth edition of the School Cinema International Film Festival (SCIFF) kicks off from November 14 to 30. The festival will be screened in over 40,000 government schools and 1,000 private schools, making it one of the largest educational film outreach initiatives in the world.
Syed Sultan Ahmed, Festival Director of SCIFF and Founder & Chief Learner at LXL Ideas, said, “SCIFF was born from the belief that cinema should be within every child’s reach, not confined to exclusive festivals or privileged spaces”. The initiative aligns closely with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which encourages the integration of creative media like cinema into education to foster holistic learning.
This year’s festival follows the ‘WATCH, LEARN, MAKE’ model that engages students in all aspects of filmmaking. WATCH Cinema transforms classrooms into mini-theatres screening thought-provoking global films, LEARN Cinema offers expert-led workshops on storytelling, cinematography, and sound, while MAKE Cinema empowers students to create their own short films and compete for youth jury positions in future editions.
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Supported by leading international film festivals such as Annecy (France), AniMela (India), Giffoni (Italy), and ZERO PLUS (Russia), the 2025 edition will feature 103 curated films in over 20 languages.
Since its inception in 2017, SCIFF has engaged 10 million students across 60,000 schools, redefining cinema as a learning tool that nurtures empathy, creativity, and global understanding among young minds.
