The 13th edition of the Smita Patil International Film Festival (SPIFF) marks another milestone in celebrating fearless and original cinema. Founded in 2012 by Arogya Sena, SPIFF was established to honor the enduring legacy of the legendary actress Smita Patil, whose remarkable body of work transformed Indian cinema through fearless performances and socially conscious storytelling.

Widely regarded as one of the defining voices of India's parallel cinema movement, Smita Patil championed stories that challenged convention and amplified underrepresented perspectives. Although her life was tragically cut short at the age of 31, her artistic legacy continues to inspire generations of filmmakers and audiences around the world.

SPIFF is dedicated to discovering and celebrating exceptional voices from India and across the globe by showcasing fiction, documentary, and animation films that are bold, innovative, and artistically uncompromising. Over the past decade, SPIFF has established itself as one of India's leading short film festivals through carefully curated programming and a vibrant community of filmmakers, artists, critics, and cinema lovers.
Held annually in Pune, SPIFF is an intimate two-day celebration of cinema featuring passionate audiences, engaging discussions, networking opportunities, and exclusive hospitality events for visiting filmmakers. Every submission is reviewed by a dedicated programming team comprising filmmakers and cinephiles committed to recognizing outstanding cinematic achievement.
Past Juries

• Umesh Kulkarni – Multiple National Award winner; Berlinale 2009
• Devashish Makhija – Director of Bhosale, Joram, and Ajji
• Juliette Grandmont – Producer of I Am Not a Witch (Cannes)
• Anand Patwardhan – Multiple National Award winner; award winner at IDFA, Yamagata, and MIFF
• Kranti Kanade – Multiple National Award winner
• Tushar Paranjpe – Berlinale Crystal Bear winner
• Sumitra Bhave – Legendary Marathi filmmaker; Multiple National Award winner
• Savita Singh – First Indian woman cinematographer to receive the National Award
• Gaganvihari Borate – National Award winner
• Roma Kong – Los Angeles-based producer; SXSW Jury Award recipient
• Bijon Imtiaz – Los Angeles-based producer; UCLA alumnus
• Ashok Rane – Eminent film critic
• Sohil Vaidya – National Award winner; Grand Prix winner at the Melbourne International Film Festival

SPIFF remains committed to honoring Smita Patil's vision by presenting films that embody courage, creativity, artistic excellence, and the spirit of independent storytelling.

Awards & Prizes

Cash Awards Will be Awarded in the Following Categories.

Best Short Fiction Film
Best Short International Film
Best Director
Best Female Filmmaker (Smita Patil Award of Recognition)
Jury Special Mention

Rules & Terms

The 13th Smita Patil International Film Festival (SPIFF) will be held in January 2027 in Pune, India.

Please read the following Rules & Terms carefully before submitting your film.
Duration

SPIFF accepts:
• Fiction
• Documentary (Non-fiction)
• Animation

Maximum runtime: 40 minutes.

Eligibility
1. Films must not be publicly available on YouTube or any online streaming platform before the festival.
2. Web series, music videos, corporate films, advertisements, promotional films, and VR projects are not eligible.
3. Films in languages other than English must include English subtitles.
4. Only the legal copyright holder or an authorized representative may submit the film.
Premiere Status
SPIFF does not require World, International, Asian, Indian, or Regional premiere status.
Submission
• Films must be submitted only via filmfreeway.
• Physical submissions will not be accepted.
• Submission fees are non-refundable, regardless of the festival's selection decision.
• Submission of a film does not guarantee selection.

Waiver Code Policy

Submission fees support the independent operation of the festival and the film review process.

Please do not contact SPIFF requesting submission fee waiver codes. Waiver codes, if issued, are granted solely at the festival's discretion through official partners, special initiatives, or direct invitation. Individual requests for waiver codes may not receive a response.

Selection Process
All submitted films are confidentially reviewed by SPIFF's Programming Team appointed by Arogya Sena.

Films are selected solely on the basis of artistic merit, originality, storytelling, and overall cinematic quality, irrespective of production budget, cast, or commercial potential.
As SPIFF receives submissions from around the world, the selection process is highly competitive.

The Programming Team reserves the right to reject any submission that does not align with the artistic vision and programming standards of the festival.
SPIFF also reserves the right to reassign a submitted film to a different competition category if deemed more appropriate. The filmmaker will be informed accordingly.

Final Selection
Only films officially selected by the Programming Team will be screened during the festival and become eligible for awards.

Screening Deliverables
Selected filmmakers will receive instructions regarding submission deadlines for screening materials, including but not limited to:
• High-quality screening file
• Trailer
• Poster
• Film stills
• Press kit
• Director biography
• Other publicity materials

Failure to submit the required materials by the specified deadline may result in removal from the festival programme.

All selected films must include English subtitles.

Screening Venue

SPIFF has a longstanding tradition of presenting its screenings at the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune.
The festival intends to continue this tradition for the upcoming edition. However, as NFAI is a Government of India institution under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, venue availability is subject to official approval.

SPIFF reserves the right to change the screening venue, if necessary, without prior notice.

AI Policy
SPIFF welcomes films created using emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, provided the submitting filmmaker owns or has obtained all necessary rights, permissions, and licences for all materials used.

The festival reserves the right to request clarification regarding the use of AI-generated content where necessary.

Publicity Authorization
By submitting a film, the rights holder grants SPIFF a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual licence to use promotional materials relating to the film solely for publicity and promotional purposes relating to the festival.

These materials may include:
• Film title
• Synopsis
• Posters
• Stills
• Trailer
• Press materials
• Director, producer, writer, cast, and crew names
• Biographical information
• Approved publicity images

These materials may be used across the festival website, catalogue, social media platforms, printed publications, television, radio, press releases, promotional partners, and other festival publicity channels.

All copyrights and intellectual property rights remain entirely with the filmmaker.

Awards

Winning filmmakers agree to acknowledge any award received from SPIFF in future publicity materials and, where applicable, on future releases of the film.

Cash Awards

Prize money may be claimed in one of the following ways:
1. Collected in person immediately following the award ceremony; or
2. Transferred electronically upon submission of valid bank account details within 15 days of the award ceremony.

SPIFF shall not be responsible for unclaimed prize money if banking information is not submitted within the stated deadline.
No extensions will be granted.

Trophies
Award winners are encouraged to attend the closing ceremony to receive their trophies in person. If attendance is not possible, recipients may either collect the trophy from the SPIFF office in Pune or arrange shipment after paying courier charges in advance.

Hospitality
Unless otherwise announced, SPIFF does not provide travel or accommodation for selected filmmakers. Any hospitality extended by the festival shall be solely at the discretion of the organizers.

Feedback Policy

Due to the high volume of submissions, SPIFF is unable to provide individual feedback or explanations regarding selection or non-selection decisions.
All decisions made by the Programming Team and the Festival Jury are final.
Cancellation & Festival Rights

The Core Committee of the Smita Patil International Film Festival reserves the right to:
• Reject or disqualify any submission that violates these Rules & Terms.
• Take appropriate action against any participant whose conduct disrupts the festival.
• Modify festival dates, venues, schedules, awards, categories, or regulations if circumstances require.

Once a film has been officially selected, it may not be withdrawn from the festival under any circumstances.

SPIFF reserves the right to refuse any submission that is incomplete or submitted without the required materials.

Acceptance of Terms
By submitting a film to the Smita Patil International Film Festival (SPIFF), the submitter confirms that they are the legal rights holder or an authorized representative and agrees to abide by all Rules &Terms outlined above.

Submission of a film constitutes full acceptance of these Rules & Terms.
21 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Nikita Naiknavare

    Our short film The Tent had its world premiere at SPIFF and we couldn’t have asked for a more wholesome and warm welcome to the film festival scene. Screening my first short film at the prestigious National Film Archives of India was an honour and I was genuinely impressed that every programmer and person involved with the festival had taken the time to watch our film, regardless of which category they were curating for. It was an honour to be included in an eclectic and unique curation of shorts from all over the world. Many thanks to the festival team for their care and attention to our film!

    April 2026
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  • Varun Tandon

    This is one of the best short film festivals in India, I would say. They keep it lean and focus on the right things, providing an amazing venue, which was the National Film Archive of India. The general public attends the festival, and almost all shows go house full. It was amazing to see my film play at the prestigious NFAI screen to a packed audience.

    It is also one of the few festivals that hosts an introduction dinner for all the filmmakers, where those who are travelling can meet each other. It is great for making new filmmaker friends. We were thrilled that our film THURSDAY SPECIAL won the award for Best Performances. In my experience, this was definitely the best screening for our film in India.

    October 2025
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  • Aroop Dwivedi

    Brilliant festival and a wonderful curation of films, Historical venue and great hospitality but the best was the involvement of the audience, cause as a film maker nothing feels as bad as a indifferent and uninvolved audience Kudos to the organizers !!.

    January 2025
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  • Jaiphal Nirmeet

    It's one of the qualitative festivals. Their motto is to screen quality work rather than quantity, which is very important to me as a filmmaker. We screened our documentary WOMAN ON FIRE in this festival. It was an amazing experience to showcase our work with very talented filmmakers from across the country and all over the world. The selection of the film is also very interesting. We also get an opportunity to talk with fellow filmmakers. As the years pass, the festival has grown very fast, and they have upscaled their quality. We are really glad that we are showcasing our documentary in this precious festival. Congratulations, and I wish you good luck for the next festival.

    January 2025
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  • Kallol Mukherjee

    I was privileged to screen my film Mic Drop at SPIFF this year. The festival is one of the important film festivals in the country and supports independent voices and voices of resistance. In a time when criticising the ones in power is becoming difficult, the festival provides a platform for films taking the difficult path. I wish SPIFF all the best for future additions.

    January 2025
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