Picture Credit: www.goethe.de
The tenth Indian edition of the Science Film Festival is focusing on artificial intelligence, with the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan network working with Indian schools and institutions to explore the technology through films and educational activities.
Running from October 1 to December 20, 2026, the festival examines AI’s applications alongside questions about ethics, transparency, sustainability and responsible use. The programme brings science education into the cultural and educational engagement connecting Germany’s cultural institute with Indian partners.
Programme across six Indian cities
Goethe-Institut centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata are organising the festival in collaboration with their respective partner schools and institutions.
International science films form the basis of the programme, supported by educational activities designed to build scientific literacy and understanding of contemporary technological and environmental issues. This format uses cinema to introduce scientific subjects and provide a starting point for further learning.
The Indian edition illustrates an area of India–Germany engagement where cultural programming intersects with science education. Its focus is on public understanding of AI through collaboration with educational institutions.
Sustainability and responsible AI use
The festival’s AI theme includes applications such as monitoring biodiversity, optimising renewable energy systems and modelling climate change. It also considers the ethical questions, transparency concerns and environmental impact associated with the technology.
The programme invites audiences to examine how AI can be developed and used responsibly, balancing technological innovation with sustainability and human values. Its environmental focus encompasses both the contribution AI could make to addressing sustainability challenges and the impact of AI itself.
By combining these subjects within a science education programme, the festival provides a setting for audiences to consider AI’s possibilities and limitations together.
Films available through free online streaming
The selected films are also available free of charge through a video-on-demand service during the festival period. Viewers must register to receive the streaming link and password.
The access conditions prohibit public sharing of the link or password, commercial use, recording and downloading. Online availability provides an additional way to access the films alongside the programme organised through partner institutions.
With AI as its central theme, the festival’s tenth Indian edition extends an established science communication programme into a current technology debate. The collaboration between Goethe-Institut centres and Indian educational partners places AI literacy within a continuing cultural and educational relationship.
