That's a Wrap on SIFFA 2025

And that’s a wrap on SIFFA 2025, a landmark edition, and one we won’t forget. Our 15th edition fell on the festival’s 10th anniversary: ten years since SIFFA began in 2016, marked with nine days of independent cinema across London, from Vue Cinema Piccadilly to a closing gala in Mayfair.

A decade of dialogue

This year’s programme was guided by a single idea, Cinema of Higher Values: Beyond Differences, Towards Dialogue, inspired by the philosopher Dario Salas Sommer. Across the week, 39 films chosen from 430 submissions brought British, Russian and international cinema together in one room, with filmmakers travelling from more than a dozen countries to be part of it.

More than the screenings

The festival opened with a masterclass from award-winning investigative filmmaker Richard Belfield at Raindance Studios, and continued with an official press conference, an industry talk on how independent films reach their audiences, and a special Victory Day programme marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Films have overcome distances, differences of cultures and beliefs, uniting us.

Dr. Luba Balagova-Kandour, SIFFA Founder & President

Thank you

To every filmmaker, juror, partner and guest who made the anniversary edition what it was: thank you. Your trust and generosity are what make SIFFA possible.

You can see the full list of winners and awardees on the SIFFA 2025 archive page. Here’s to the next ten years.