The coming edition marks the 11th year of the Smita Patil International Film Festival.

Smita Patil International Film Festival, was started in 2012 by Arogya Sena on the name of legendary actress Smita Patil. Smita Patil stood up to mainstream cinema as an alternative voice and quickly became an icon for brave, bold, and audacious cinema. She died at the age of 31 but her enormous contribution to cinema will echo across the centuries.

We at SPIFF are committed to showcasing the original voices in Indian and world cinema. Our goal is to showcase films that are bold and innovative. In the last ten years, SPIFF has emerged as one of the most prominent short film festivals in India with tight programming and a closely-knit cinephile audience.

SPIFF is a two-day event held in Pune with enthusiastic audiences, local critics, and dinner parties for filmmakers that are visiting. Programmers are filmmakers and cinephiles themselves.

PREVIOUS JURIES OF SPIFF
Umesh Kulkarni(Multiple National Awards, Berlinale 2009)
Anand Patwardhan(Multiple National Awards, Winner at IDFA, Yamagata, MIFF)
Kranti Kanade(Multple National Award Winner)
Tushar Paranjpe(Berlinale Crystal Bear Winner)
Sumitra Bhave(Legendary Marathi Filmmaker, Multiple National Award Winner)
Gaganvihari Borate(National Award Winner)
Roma Kong(LA based producer, SXSW Jury Award)
Bijon Imtiaz(LA based producer, UCLA Alumni)
Ashok Rane(Eminent Critic)

Cash Awards Will be Awarded in the Following Categories.

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

The 11th Smita International Film Festival will be held from December 21 and 22nd 2023 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.

FORMAT: A documentary or Short Film could be shot on any camera, but English subtitles are compulsory for languages other than English.

SUBMISSION: Films are to be submitted online only, no physical submission will be accepted.

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 the subject. 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 that SPIFF seeks. There wouldn’t be any refund if the film is rejected. It’s not possible for us to provide any feedback.

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.

COVID-19 and FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING.
We are committed to making Festival screenings COVID-19 safe. We adhere to the policies of the medical authorities regarding COVID-19 protocols. SPIFF will comply with the Maharashtra and Central Indian governments' COVID guidelines.

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 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.

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.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Sarthak Hegde

    The Smita Patil International Film Festival is a rare event that genuinely amplifies the voices of artists. Freedom of speech is given the utmost priority, and the highly curated selection of films is a testament to that. The screening at the prestigious National Film Archive of India is a surreal experience, given the history and importance of the place. The team is incredibly warm and shares a distinct passion for film and the artist's statements. It was a surreal and wonderful experience, and I look forward to returning. Thank you for including my film "SURA" in the lineup and recognizing it. Truly honored.

    January 2024
  • Suraj Gunjal

    It was an amazing experience! We've grown up seeing Smita ma'am's films & admiring her work. And now this programming team are following her legacy of perfection by organising this festival and providing opportunities for aspiring filmmakers to showcase their talents.
    Best wishes!!!

    January 2024
  • Smita Patil International Festival is one of the best organised film festivals that I've attended so far.

    Let me mention some highlights:
    - The film screenings are organised at the prestigious National Film Archive of India auditorium at Pune. It is one of the best auditoriums in India.

    - The selection of short films from both India and abroad was top notch, better than that in some of the big festivals I've attended so far, and it was a proud moment just to be in the company of such great films.

    - Pune has a big film-loving audience. We had some 200+ people at our film screening.

    - The festival had organised a dinner on the first day, which provided an opportunity to meet and network with some good filmmakers, festival programmers, jurors and more.

    - All the festival team members are huge film fans, and discussions with them really reflected about their interest in each film programmed for the festival.

    - The hospitality was also quite courteous. Apart from the dinner on Day 1, all filmmakers and accompanying crew members were given lunch and tea coupons that could be used at a nearby restaurant.

    Overall, we enjoyed a lot at the festival. I really hope the festival grows further by leaps and bounds and caters to the audience for films, esp short films, in Pune.

    January 2024
  • Janantik Shukla

    It was indeed a beautiful film festival where hosts were warm and helpful.
    Icing on cake is seeing our film on National Film archives’ big screen. That was the biggest award for us.

    Through the film festival, Our name is associated with Smita Patil. Anything can beat that? Thank you again.

    January 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks, Janantik! It was a pleasure to have your film in the lineup!

  • Sanat Ganu

    Amazing selection of films. Great communication and hospitality!

    January 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks, Sanat for your review!