The eighth edition of the School Cinema International Film Festival (SCIFF) 2025 that hopes to reach out to over 40,000  schools across the country was launched in Bengaluru on Friday.

The inaugural event, hosted at Delhi Public School, Bengaluru South, welcomed students, educators, and dignitaries, including representatives from Russia’s Zero Plus International Film Festival, acclaimed filmmakers, and past SCIFF participants.

Scheduled between November 14 to 30, SCIFF 2025 will reach more than 40,000 government schools and 1,000 private schools across India. The festival will showcase over 100 curated films from 25 countries—including France, Spain, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, and Russia—in more than 20 Indian and international languages.

Festival Director Syed Sultan Ahmed, Founder and Chief Learner at LXL Ideas, highlighted SCIFF as a national movement bringing exceptional global stories into Indian classrooms. He emphasized cinema’s role in fostering curiosity, creativity, and empathy, calling SCIFF 2025 a transformative journey for millions of young learners. “Our idea is that if we can’t take students to international film festivals, we take the festivals to their doorstep. Wherever possible, we also hope to facilitate interactions with filmmakers,” he said. 

The festival’s “WATCH, LEARN, MAKE” framework enables students to experience cinema beyond entertainment by participating in screenings, interactive workshops, and a national filmmaking competition aimed at nurturing storytelling and creative expression. Anitha Bijesh, Principal of Delhi Public School, South Bangalore, described SCIFF 2025 as an initiative that turns schools into hubs of creativity and global citizenship, expressing pride in hosting the Bengaluru launch.

SCIFF 2025 is supported by international film festivals such as Annecy (France), AniMela (India), Giffoni (Italy), and ZERO PLUS (Russia), along with France and Spain as country partners. Students can watch movies from 30 countries in 20 different languages during the festival. In Bengaluru, Syed said that the festival will be organised in schools managed by the BBMP and social welfare department. 

“Schools only need audio-visual screening facilities and a principal who is enthusiastic to participate. We hope to reach underprivileged government school children in large numbers,” Syed added. 

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