Cinema is set to take over classrooms across India this Children’s Day as over 41,000 schools gear up to host the eighth edition of the School Cinema International Film Festival (SCIFF) from November 14 to 30.

The festival will feature more than 100 acclaimed films from 25 countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, and the UAE — transforming classrooms into immersive theatres of learning, empathy, and creativity.

“SCIFF was born from a simple yet profound belief that cinema should be within every child’s reach — not confined to exclusive festivals or privileged spaces,” said Syed Sultan Ahmed, Festival Director of SCIFF and Founder & Chief Learner at LXL Ideas.

Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which promotes creative learning tools, SCIFF allows schools across India to host their own film festivals. “Through SCIFF, we aim to nurture young minds that watch with awareness, learn with curiosity, and express with empathy. Every frame becomes a classroom, and every story, a life lesson,” Ahmed added.

This year’s edition carries global recognition and collaboration, drawing support from major international film festivals such as the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (France), Giffoni Film Festival (Italy), AniMela Festival (India), and ZERO PLUS International Film Festival (Russia). France and Spain have also joined as country partners.

Launching on Children’s Day, the 2025 edition will screen over 103 curated films in more than 20 Indian and international languages, expanding its reach from 23,000 schools last year to an estimated 41,000 government and private schools this year.

Following a unique “WATCH, LEARN, MAKE” framework, SCIFF invites students to explore every dimension of cinema:

·        WATCH Cinema turns classrooms into mini theatres screening thought-provoking films.

·        LEARN Cinema offers hands-on workshops and online masterclasses on filmmaking, storytelling, and sound design.

·        MAKE Cinema empowers students to create their own films, with top entries selected for the youth jury of the next edition.

Formerly known as the International Kids Film Festival (IKFF), SCIFF has since 2017 engaged over 10 million students and 60,000 schools, redefining the role of film in education.

By transforming ordinary classrooms into spaces of cinematic exploration, SCIFF reaffirms the power of storytelling as a tool to build empathy, creativity, and global awareness among young learners — one frame at a time.