The 13th Smita International Film Festival will be held in January 2027 in Pune at the prestigious National Film Archive of India.
PLEASE READ ALL THE RULES & TERMS CAREFULLY.
DURATION: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Animation films below 40 mins.
ELIGIBILITY:
1> Films that are not online on any streaming platform or youtube.
2> Web series, music videos, corporate films, and VR are not accepted.
3> For Languages other than English, films will need English Subtitles.
SUBMISSION: Films are to be submitted online only, no physical submission will be accepted.
SPIFF reserves the right to reassign a submitted film to a different category if the programming team determines it is a better fit. Filmmakers will be informed accordingly.
SELECTION PROCESS: Submission to the festival doesn’t guarantee the screening. All the Films submitted to SPIFF will be confidentially viewed by a programming team appointed by Arogya Sena. Films to be screened in the final selection of the film festival will be exclusively judged on the artistic merit of the film without regard to the cost of production or star-cast etc. As SPIFF receives submissions from across the globe, the final selection is becoming incredibly competitive. The programming team reserves the right to reject any film that doesn’t fit the artistic excellence SPIFF seeks. There wouldn’t be any refund if the film is rejected. We do not provide any feedback or reasoning as to why certain film was rejected.
Only a RIGHT HOLDER of the film is allowed to submit the film.
FINAL SCREENING: Only films shortlisted by the programming team will be eligible for final screenings and awards.
FILM MATERIALS: After the selection is confirmed, we will notify the applicant and provide the deadline to send us all the materials regarding the film(Screening Copy, Trailers, Posters, etc). If this deadline is not obeyed, we won't be able to guarantee your screening. The selected film should have English subtitles.
SCREENING VENUE: SPIFF has a longstanding tradition of screening at the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune. We are planning our upcoming edition at NFAI as a part of our tradition. Please note that, NFAI is a government institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and its availability as a venue is subject to official sanction by the central government. SPIFF does not guarantee NFAI as a screening venue and reserves the right to use alternate venues as required.
PUBLICATION AUTHORIZATION: All filmmakers/ Right Holders, grant the festival a non-exclusive limited use agreement to use selected portions of submitted films to use the following:
The Film’s title, the Film’s synopsis, photographs, trailers, and other Publicity Deliverables, and any of the principal cast members, director(s)’s, writer(s)’s, producer(s)’s, crew members’ names, voice, biographical information, and/or likeness, in the following media: SPIFF’s website, Social Media (including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, youtube), the printed festival film guide, the festival mobile app, radio, television and press releases throughout the universe, in perpetuity, without compensation, permission, or notification, solely for the purpose of advertising, publicizing, and promoting the Film Festival and / or the Film’s screening for which the entrants are solely responsible.
Filmmakers fully retain all rights, titles, and interests in their films and all Intellectual Property. Also, the organizers will be able to share the information with their publicity partners.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AWARDS: Entrants must agree to acknowledge the award on the film itself if it wins the award.
AWARD CASH: Award cash may be claimed in one of two ways:
1> Collected in person immediately after the award ceremony, or
2> Transferred to the winner's bank account, provided valid bank details are submitted to the SPIFF team within 15 days of the ceremony.
SPIFF will not be held responsible for unclaimed cash prizes where bank details have not been furnished within the stipulated deadline. No extensions will be granted, as the SPIFF team concludes all festival operations shortly after this window closes.
TROPHIES: Winners are expected to be present at the SPIFF award ceremony to receive their trophies in person. If a winner is unable to attend, it is their responsibility to either collect the trophy from the SPIFF office in Pune or arrange shipment by sending advance courier charges prior to dispatch. Please note that SPIFF ships trophies within India only. International shipment of trophies is not available under any circumstances.
CANCELLATION/REJECTION: The core committee of Smita International Film Festival reserves the right to take action against any breach of regulations or any misbehavior disturbing the course of the festival and reserves all the rights to refuse or reject any registration/entry of any submission(s) or persons or institutions. Submission will only be considered valid after receiving all the required documents and the final screening copy of the film(s). After notification of selection, the film may not be withdrawn from the festival under any circumstance. Results declared by the programming team and juries will be treated as final and all the participants will abide by them.
SPIFF WILL NOT HAVE ANY BINDINGS TO GIVE ANY CLARIFICATION OR JUSTIFICATION REGARDING THE RESULTS TO ANYONE.
FEEDBACK: SPIFF team is not able to provide feedback on the rejected films.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The core committee of the Smita Patil International Film Festival appointed by Arogya Sena reserves the right to change the rules and regulations or the competition's schedule.
By submitting your film to the festival, you accept the terms and conditions mentioned.
