SPIFF to be held on Pune from Saturday

Over the years, SPIFF has upheld this philosophy, earning a reputation as one of India’s premier platforms for short-form cinema. Vaidya has overseen the festival’s programming and curation for over a decade, building international networks and positioning SPIFF as a meeting point for filmmakers, actors and producers from across the world.
SPIFF has showcased films produced or directed by internationally renowned filmmakers, including Ridley Scott, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Shiladitya Bora. “Payal Kapadia, winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, is a SPIFF alumna. Her short film Afternoon Clouds won at SPIFF in 2017, years before her international breakthrough underscoring the festival’s cultural relevance and long-term impact,” Vaidya added.
Selections over the years have featured performances by actors such as Oscar Isaac, Konkona Sen Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah, Rasika Dugal, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajit Kapur, Mohan Agashe, Divya Dutta, Neena Kulkarni, Mohan Joshi, Jyoti Subhash, Amruta Subhash and Nitanshi Goel, among others.

The festival has no entry fee and addresses themes including immigration, LGBTQ+ identity, minority voices, abortion rights and artistic freedom. This year, SPIFF received over 200 submissions from 37 countries, with 46 films selected for screening. Entries came from across India, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, East Asia and Southeast Asia, reflecting the festival’s growing global footprint.

Sohil Vaidya will serve as jury for the international films section, while Savita Singh, India’s first National Award-winning cinematographer, will be jury for Indian films. This year’s team includes founder and director Dr Abhijit Vaidya, co-founder and co-director, jury member and programming head Sohil Vaidya, and an associate director, among others.