The Team.
Filmmakers, programmers and cultural practitioners brought together by a shared belief in independent cinema and the voices that keep it alive.
International perspective.
Pune, India.
Festival Collective
The people shaping SPIFF's direction, identity and engagement with independent cinema.
Dr. Abhijit
Vaidya
Dr. Abhijit Vaidya is a cardiologist, activist and author. He is the Founder & Director of the Smita Patil International Film Festival.
He is the National President of Arogya Sena (Health Army), which has 14,000 volunteers across seven states and has treated 72 thousand patients free of cost.
He was also a Managing Trustee of the 75-year-old organisation Rashtra Seva Dal. He is the author of the Sahitya Akademi Lalit Gadya award-winning book Shalom Israel and editor of the magazine Purogami Jangarjana.
Sohil
Vaidya
Sohil is a writer and director based in Pune and Los Angeles. He won the prestigious Directors Guild of America (D.G.A.) Award for his thesis film Difficult People.
Sohil's films have been screened at more than 70 international film festivals including Rotterdam (IFFR), Melbourne (MIFF), Athens (AIFVF), IFFI Indian Panorama, Palm Springs, Rhode Island International, Edmonton International, LA Asian Pacific, Dharamshala (DIFF), Kerala (IDSFFK) and the New York Indian Film Festival.
Sohil is an alumnus of USC Film School and a BAFTA Fellow in Los Angeles.
Yogesh
Jagam
As a storyteller, Yogesh is not confined to procedures and theories. He passionately strives to bring great films to audiences through the various festivals he is associated with.
He has worked as an associate director and executive producer on feature films and documentaries for over 10 years.
Programming Team
The curatorial team discovering, discussing and shaping the films that become part of SPIFF.
Sohil Vaidya
Sohil is a writer and director based in Pune and Los Angeles. He won the Directors Guild of America Award for his thesis film Difficult People.
His films have screened at more than 70 international festivals including Rotterdam, Melbourne, Athens, IFFI, Palm Springs, Rhode Island International, Dharamshala and the New York Indian Film Festival.
Sohil is an alumnus of USC Film School and a BAFTA Fellow in Los Angeles.
Yogesh Jagam
“Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world” – Jean-Luc Godard.
As a storyteller, Yogesh is not confined to procedures and theories. He passionately strives to bring great films to audiences through the various festivals he is associated with.
He has worked as an associate director and executive producer on feature films and documentaries for over 10 years.
Anusha Vaidya
Anusha Vaidya is a producer and director based in Pune. After completing her MA in International Film Business from London Film School, she started her own production company, Masakali Productions.
She has over nine years of experience working across films, advertising and web series as an executive producer, writer and director, along with costume design.
She has also conducted filmmaking workshops at different media and film schools.
Aneesh Prabhune
Aneesh holds a master's degree in Broadcasting and Production from Royal Holloway, University of London.
He has worked in the Indian film industry for over ten years in various roles, including script doctor and producer.
He is also associated with the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).
Aatish Shinde
Aatish holds a Master's in Clinical Psychology. He is a screenwriter, photographer and an avid cinephile.
Apart from films, Aatish enjoys classical literature, philosophy and chess.
Dr. Sawani Vinita
A multidisciplinary professional with over 25 years of experience across education, journalism and filmmaking, Dr. Sawani V combines creative vision with academic depth, crafting narratives that reflect society's cultural and emotional landscapes.
Cinema is not simply selected here. It is watched, argued over, discovered, championed and finally shared.