The Cinemana festival was founded in 2021 at the Alliance Française de Tunis offices.
It's a festival dedicated to emerging Tunisian short films, bringing together film students, independent filmmakers, and cinema lovers to train, meet industry professionals, and showcase their own work in competition for awards.
The Alliance Française, the world's largest associative cultural network, operates around two complementary strategic missions: promoting the French language and developing cultural projects that encourage diversity, mobility, and intercultural dialogue.
In this context, the Alliance Française de Tunis launched and supported the creation of the Cinemana festival, conceived as a key platform for training, professional development, and cultural outreach.
Cinemana primarily serves young filmmakers, students, independent creators, and enthusiasts, offering them opportunities for training, visibility, and networking with audiovisual industry professionals. The festival nurtures emerging talent through specialized workshops, professional meetings, competitive screenings, and focused artistic mentorship. It provides a practical pathway for cultural and professional development, especially for young people.
In 2025, the festival evolved significantly with its transformation into Cinemana Mare Nostrum. This new direction reflects a strategy of regional expansion and greater impact, positioning the project within a shared Euro-Mediterranean space. The inclusion of Italy and Malta alongside Tunisia marks the first step toward building a sustainable Mediterranean cultural network based on the exchange of films, expertise, and audiences.
Beyond geographic expansion, Mare Nostrum embraces a strong ethical and social dimension. The festival now places ecology at the core of its programming and artistic vision, raising awareness among participants and audiences about environmental challenges facing the Mediterranean region. This focus adds significant value in terms of cultural responsibility, aligning with current priorities of both institutional and private partners.
Supporting Cinemana Mare Nostrum enables us to: strengthen employability and professional development for young creators, build a lasting Mediterranean cultural network, enhance partners' visibility through a project with strong social, educational, and environmental impact, and promote Tunisian cultural creation on the international stage.
Through its institutional foundation, educational mission, and international reach, Cinemana Mare Nostrum represents a cultural investment with lasting impact, serving youth, intercultural dialogue, and regional artistic development.
