- World’s largest children’s film festival announces open call for film submissions from filmmakers across India and worldwide
- Festival scheduled for 14th–30th November 2026, hosted by schools across India as part of the world’s largest children’s film festival movement
- As School Cinema completes 15 years of impact, the programme currently reaches 670,796 students across 905 schools in 350 cities and 28 states
Ashvin Limbachiya, 1st July 2026:
The School Cinema International Film Festival (SCIFF), one of the world’s largest children’s film festivals and a flagship initiative of School Cinema, has announced the dates for its 10th edition. SCIFF 2026 will be hosted by schools across India from 14th to 30th November 2026, bringing meaningful cinema directly into classrooms for children and young audiences.
The festival has also opened its call for entries, inviting filmmakers, and independent creators from India and across the world to submit films for consideration.
As School Cinema completes 15 years of impact, the 2026 edition marks an important milestone in its journey of using films as a powerful medium for life skills, social-emotional learning, cultural understanding, and creative expression. School Cinema currently reaches over 670,796 students across 905 schools in 350 cities and 28 states, making it one of India’s most widely implemented film-based learning programmes.
SCIFF 2026 invites films that speak to and for children and young people. The festival offers filmmakers an opportunity to present their work to enthusiastic and formative audiences aged 5–16 years in schools across India.
The upcoming edition will showcase a carefully curated selection of films across categories including live action, animation, and documentary films, in both short and feature formats. Selected films will be screened in schools as part of SCIFF’s unique model of bringing the festival experience into the most familiar and comfortable environment for children.
Speaking on the announcement, Syed Sultan Ahmed, Festival Director, SCIFF & Founder and Chief Learner, LXL Ideas, said, “Films are among the most powerful teachers we have ever known. A single story, told well, can shift a child’s perspective, build their empathy, and inspire them to dream bigger. School Cinema was founded fifteen years ago on precisely this belief that every child, regardless of where they study or what resources their school has, deserves access to the world’s best stories. SCIFF is the natural extension of that belief: a platform that not only brings great cinema into classrooms but also invites filmmakers to become partners in the most important work there is, shaping the next generation. As we mark 15 years of School Cinema’s journey, SCIFF 2026 is our invitation to storytellers everywhere: if your film has the power to move a child, make them think, or help them see the world through another’s eyes, we want it in our schools.”
Call for Film Entries: Submit Your Film for SCIFF 2026
SCIFF 2026 warmly invites filmmakers to submit films that speak to and for children and young people. This is an opportunity to place your film in front of enthusiastic and formative audiencesin classrooms across India.
Eligibility & Categories:
- Live Action: Short (1–40 min) | Feature (40 min+)
- Animation: Short | Feature
- Documentary: Short | Feature
- Films must be completed after 1 January 2024, and all dialogue films must carry English subtitles.
Submission Guidelines:
- Video format: .mp4 or .mov (H.264 codec, HD/Full HD preferred).
- By submitting, filmmakers consent to their film being screened on protected digital platforms in schools and for festival promotion.
- Subtitles in Indian regional languages may be requested for wider reach.
Submission Deadline: August 15, 2026
Submission Link: Filmmakers are invited to submit their entries for SCIFF 2026 at https://filmfreeway.com/SchoolCinemaInternationalFilmFestival
Festival Dates: 14th to 30th November 2026
Festival Format: Hosted by schools across India
Open To: Filmmakers and independent creators from India and around the world
Awards
SCIFF 2026 will recognise outstanding films across all categories with awards in:
● Best Live Action – Feature
● Best Animation – Feature
● Best Documentary – Feature
● Best Live Action – Short
● Best Animation – Short
● Best Documentary – Short
In Gujarat, School Cinema is currently implemented in 26 schools across 9 cities, impacting over 24,000 students.
In its previous editions, SCIFF travelled to 41,000 schools (government and private) and reached over 5 million children across India, making it one of the most widely implemented school-based film programmes in the country. In 2025, Prominent global film festivals such as Annecy International Animation Film Festival (France), AniMela Festival (India), Giffoni Film Festival (Italy), and ZERO PLUS International Film Festival (Russia), had extended their support to SCIFF 2025.
School Cinema is implemented across 905 schools in 350 cities spanning 28 states, reaching over 670,796 students. In the 2026–27 academic year, the programme features 143 films, offering students a wide-ranging curriculum spanning cultural, geographic, and thematic contexts. Many schools have engaged with School Cinema for over a decade, demonstrating the programme’s sustained relevance, quality, and long-term impact.
For more information on SCIFF, please visit:
SCIFF Website
SCIFF LinkedIn
SCIFF Instagram
School Cinema YouTube
About SCIFF
Launched in 2017, the School Cinema International Film Festival (SCIFF) is a pioneering film festival hosted by schools, in schools. Bringing the world of cinema into classrooms, SCIFF gives young minds the opportunity to watch, learn, and make films – inspiring creativity and a deeper appreciation for storytelling. With prestigious partnerships and global recognition, SCIFF offers students an immersive festival experience within their most comfortable environment.
An initiative of the LXL Foundation — a not-for-profit arm of LXL Ideas — SCIFF is part of a larger mission to create meaningful learning experiences through media, events, and research. LXL Foundation’s flagship programmes, including School Cinema, Mentor Magazine, and SCIFF, empower educators and students to learn beyond textbooks through storytelling and film pedagogy.
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