The 12th edition of Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth- SIFFCY, organised by Smile Foundation, has begun in New Delhi today. This seven-day event has been organised in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. Speaking on the occasion, Co-founder of Smile Foundation Shantanu Mishra said that the Smile Foundation is an Indian development organisation working for the welfare of underserved children and families in the areas of education, health, livelihoods, and women’s empowerment.

 

Mr Shantanu said this year’s SIFFC focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion. He informed that over 400 live welfare projects across 27 states in India are impacting the lives of nearly two million children and families every year. Mr Mishra added that the idea is to make them aware of the personal, social, moral, and world issues that are important for us today, and encourage them to participate in positive discourse and constructive actions to make the world a better place to live.

 

Talking to the media, Joint Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Manmeet Kaur Nanda, said that movies and films are powerful tools for communication. She highlighted that this year, for the first time, the film festival has themes like disability inclusion, equity and diversity, and many more films have been produced by disabled children themselves.

 

The event is organised with the support of the embassies of Ukraine, the Netherlands, Finland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Cyprus, Estonia, the Polish Institute, and the Italian Cultural Centre.