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A SMILE FOUNDATION
INITIATIVE
We are honored to host the 11th edition of the annual SIFFCY Film Festival in partnership with the European Union (Delegation of the European Union in India) from 28 Jan to 03 Feb 2025. The festival will be organized in a hybrid format to accommodate both in-person and virtual audiences. Major events, including the opening and award ceremonies, will take place at the iconic Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on January 28, 29, and 30, 2025.
In parallel, screenings and related activities will be held in various locations in collaboration with the local schools and communities partners across India. Additionally, a curated selection of the program will be streamed on the festival’s secure, geo-blocked virtual platform, reaching a broader audience throughout the week.
FOCUS ITALY:
With an objective to give tribute to extraordinary films from all times of a particular nation, SIFFCY hosts a special section focusing on a country every year. This year SIFFCY has been fortunate enough to curate the best of ITALIAN CINEMA in partnership with the Italian Cultural Center, New Delhi. We celebrate best of Italian cinema made for young audience. This is an honest effort to exchange our art, culture, tradition and values through cinema and strengthen the cultural relationship between our nations.
COUNTRY OF HONOUR: POLAND
This year we are proud to celebrate POLAND as the Country of Honor at SIFFCY 2025. We are happy to collaborate with the incredible Polish Institute, New Delhi to host Polish Day during the festival this year. There will be multiple Polish film screenings and various sessions in the program during the weeklong festival. This is an honest effort to exchange our art, tradition and values through cinema and strengthen the cultural relationship between our nations.
CELEBRATING GERMAN & FINNISH FILMS
We are proud to collaborate with our long-standing partner SCHLINGEL IFF, Germany again this year to bring handpicked German films for Indian audience. In addition, we have collaborated with The Embassy of Finland in India to curate films from Finland.
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR DETAILED SCHEDULE
BACKGROUND:
SIFFCY is a flagship initiative of India’s leading charity Smile Foundation to engage, educate and empower young minds through the power of Good Cinema and related capacity building workshops, interactive panels, masterclasses and related activities. Each year, the annual film festival attracts thousands of filmmakers, industry professionals and Cinephile from around the globe, with over 50,000 young spectators attending the week-long events. This year, we aim to reach a larger audience, with expectations of over one million virtual participants.
(You may find more information on www.smilefoundationindia.org | www.siffcy.org)
Head of NFDC Film Bazar
Currently heading the Film Bazaar market as the Head of Programming at NFDC Film Bazaar, Vineeta plays a key role in creating opportunities for filmmakers and storytellers. With over a decade of experience in content programming strategy, acquisitions, and distribution, she has contributed to leading organizations like BookMyShow, Eros International Productions, 20th Century Fox and Disney India. Passionate about supporting independent cinema, Vineeta is dedicated to fostering collaboration and amplifying new voices in the global film industry.
Film critic / journalist
Murtaza Ali Khan is an award-winning film critic / journalist who has been covering art, culture, and entertainment for over 10 years. Khan regularly appears on radio and TV as a film expert. Khan has also curated film festivals and retrospectives for various Embassies and Cultural Centres. He has also served on the jury of various film festivals as well as the National Film Awards. He regularly conducts workshops on film appreciation and cinema history. Khan has translated the book ‘Hindujas and Bollywood,’ about the global journey of over 1200 Hindi films from 1950s to 1980s, into English. His education spans science & technology, mass communication, and management.
Filmmaker, Programmer
Graduated in Cinema from the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples and selected for the mentoring program Becoming Maestre, organized by Netflix and the David di Donatello Awards. She has experience as a director and editor and has worked on several film sets. She is part of the programming team for the Giffoni Film Festival and the author of documentaries such as Bettina and Pucundrìa, both selected and awarded at various festivals. She is also working with new technologies and forms of hybridization between art and cinema.
National Award winning filmmaker
Kamakhya Narayan Singh is a National award-winning filmmaker, has been a Creative Director with a global travel channel, Travelxp, for over fifteen years. He has also been known to make films that address important social issues.
His debut feature ‘Bhor’ has won him awards and acclaim across many platforms around the world. The film traveled to 28 film International festivals across the world. And won many awards. In 2020, he won the National Award for his documentary, ‘Justice Delayed But Delivered’. In his recent documentary “All I want for Christmas” he has covered the journey of a mother and daughter, who are from Ukraine, living as refugees in Norway. The mother takes her daughter to Finland to celebrate Christmas, meet Santa Claus and show her how to believe in magic again.
Festival Designer, KINEKO International Film Festival
Yoko Yano is an active member of the KINEKO International Film Festival, based in Tokyo. With over 30 years of history, KINEKO is Japan’s largest children’s film festival, known for its live-dubbing screenings, diverse events, and workshops that inspire children’s imagination and promote cultural exchange. Yano plays a key role in planning, production, and publicity. Drawing from her education at a U.S. film school and her experience working with NPOs in Japan, she leverages her skills to inspire children and foster international understanding through the power of cinema.