“Inclusion is not a matter of charity or compassion; it is a matter of rights.” With this powerful assertion, Smt. Manmeet Kaur Nanda, IAS, Additional Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), set the tone in inaugural function of the 12th edition of the Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY) held today at PHD Chamber of Commerce, New Delhi, calling for a deeper, more humane understanding of inclusion that goes beyond infrastructure and compliance to the transformation of attitudes and hearts.
Addressing a distinguished gathering of policymakers, diplomats, filmmakers, educators, and young audiences, Smt. Nanda reflected on the lived realities of persons with disabilities in India. Citing that India is home to 2.68 crore persons with disabilities as per the 2011 Census—figures widely believed to be a significant underestimation—she highlighted that nearly 80 lakh children with disabilities remain among the most excluded, often denied access to education, public spaces, and even the simple joy of watching a film in a cinema hall. Drawing on landmark jurisprudence, including the Supreme Court’s 2021 judgment in Vikash Kumar vs UPSC, she emphasized that reasonable accommodation is a constitutional obligation, requiring positive measures to ensure equal participation, whether in classrooms or cultural spaces. She cautioned that denial of accommodations, such as extra time for children with dyslexia or admission to children with autism, amounts not to practicality but to discrimination.
Echoing this vision, Santanu Mishra, Chairman, SIFFCY, and Co-founder, Smile Foundation, said, “Childhood is a decisive phase where values and perspectives take root. Through SIFFCY, we use cinema as a gentle yet powerful medium to nurture empathy, resilience, and social awareness among children and youth. Stories that celebrate diversity and inclusion can leave lasting impressions and help shape more compassionate worldviews.”
Expanding on the festival’s global outlook, Jitendra Mishra, Festival Director, SIFFCY, and President, CIFEJ 2025-27, said, “SIFFCY brings together stories from across cultures that reflect the realities and aspirations of young people worldwide. Through carefully curated films and meaningful dialogue, the festival offers young audiences a shared cultural space to explore diversity, creativity, and global perspectives.”
In a deeply personal and compelling address, Smt. Manmeet Kaur Nanda further underscored that true inclusion cannot be achieved through government orders alone. Recalling her experiences as a District Magistrate—of ramps leading to storage rooms and accessible toilets locked away—she stressed that inclusion demands a shift from tolerance to acceptance, and from acceptance to celebration. She described cinema as a uniquely powerful medium to build empathy and dismantle prejudice, particularly when children see protagonists with disabilities portrayed not as objects of pity or inspiration, but as fully realized human beings. Highlighting the film Little Big Dreams, created by children with special needs from Ladakh, she noted that inclusion is truly realized when children become creators of their own narratives, asserting their full humanity and creative agency.
The 12th edition of the Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY), an initiative of Smile Foundation, is being held from 28 January to 3 February 2026, celebrating Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility through cinema for young audiences. The festival is being organised in partnership with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, and the Delegation of the European Union to India.
Conducted in a hybrid format, SIFFCY features film screenings, workshops, panel discussions, and award ceremonies at PHD House, New Delhi, alongside outreach screenings across more than 100 locations nationwide, including schools and community spaces. A curated selection of films is also available on the festival’s secure, geo-blocked virtual platform, ensuring nationwide access. Remaining non-profit, non-ticketed, and fully accessible, SIFFCY 2026 showcases over 150 films from more than 35 countries and presents prestigious honours including the ECFA Award, CIFEJ Award, and the Film Critics Circle of India (FCCI) Award.
SIFFCY 2026 opened with the Polish-Czech co-production, Grandpa Let’s go! The festival is bringing more than 100 films from 20 European member states. A delegation of five filmmakers and festival directors from Poland are also participating in SIFFCY with the support of Polish Institute New Delhi.
The focus country in SIFFCY 2026 is the Netherlands, in collaboration with the embassy of the Netherlands. In addition, specially curated films from Germany, Italy, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia are part of this year’s festival.
