Festival Internationnal Du Film Panafricain De Cannes #FIFP (22)

Festival start: 22 October 2025      Festival end: 26 October 2025

The International “Festival International du Film Panafricain” (FIFP) in Cannes is a platform that exhibits cinema and its professions, arts and entrepreneurship, as well as innovation, culture and events.

The FIFP was created and founded by Mr. Eitel Basile NGANGUE EBELLE and the “Association Nord Sud Développement, agréée jeunesse et Education Populaire Ministère de la santé, de la jeunesse et des sports n° 06514”.

As a driving force behind the PanAfrican Cinema and Arts industry, the Festival is constantly seeking specific solutions for the development of PanAfrican Cinema and Arts.
With a booming Pan-African market (from Africa to the Americas through the Caribbean, Europe and Asia), the Festival benefits from expertise in the development of cinema and Fashion as well as the development of cultural affairs.

Since its creation in 2006, the DIKALO AWARDS (meaning « message » in the Cameroonian language Douala) has been awarded by a professional jury for the best short and feature films (fiction), the best long and short documentaries, the Dikalos Peace Award, as well as the best actor and actress awards.

The FIFP is a felt moment. It is a unique experience where PanAfrican cinema and African cultures and those of its diaspora around the world are the central focus. An exceptional energy is felt.

Since 2018, the FIFP in Cannes has included along with its projections, a market: the Entrepreneurship Salon for Culture and Well-Being. The objective is to enhance the economy of PanAfrican cinema.

A few years from now, the market which features pan-African arts will generate considerable sums. « Tomorrow is now ». This enormous potential must be brought forward into the light.

Such an “active dream” is an ideal that has made Africans and their diaspora what it is today. This was Mandela’s and Obama’s vehicle, as well as many others…

Pan-Africanism is an aggregate of universalism. It contains all of the lights, those of ancient Egypt and those of the future. In short, a constant beauty.

A panel of judges working for the Dikalo Award
This award has given an added dynamic for Pan African work since its creation in 2006.

DIKALO (which means message in the Douala language from Cameroon) is given by the jury to the best feature film and short film (fiction) the best documentary, best actor and actress.

The public also choose who gets a DIKALO.

The quality of the films winning the Dikalos Award reflects the excellent work done by the different professionals who have made up the jury and has helped to make our festival a point of reference within its domain.

All the films which have gained awards at the festival have gone to have international recognition. An example of this is Rigoberto Lopez (winner of the Dikalo Award in 2006 ) the great Cuba director with « Roble de Olor – Perfumed Oak ».

FESTIVAL RULES

The candidate must carefully read all the rules

Attention! By submitting your film to the FIFP, you acknowledge that you have read and adhere to the following rules.

CONTENTS:

Part 1: Presentation
Part 2: Objectives
Part 3: Conditions for Participation
Part 4: subtitle Requirement
Part 5: Official Selection (International Competition)
Part 6: Film Submission
Part 7: Award-Winning Films - Requirements for the Laurels
Part 8: The No-Hosting Rule for Filmmakers and Film Producers of officially selected films
Part 9: Insurances
Part 10: Litigation rules

PART 1: PRESENTATION

Article 1: The goal of the “Festival International du Film Panafricain” is to help with the discovery of authors, screenwriters, filmmakers from around the globe who create works or art inspired by the Pan-African universe (Africa and its diaspora across the five continents) ... This ranges from directing a scene, to an actor’s role (primary or secondary...), to film production...

Article 2: The “Festival International du Film Panafricain” aims to explore a keen and alert perspective on the creation of contemporary cinematography in the Pan-African world. The Festival covers aspects of black people’s environment extending from Africa to America through the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific….

PART 2: OBJECTIVES

Article 3: The objective is the promotion and valorization of the Pan-African cinema. The festival is a meeting platform for film professionals from around the world who are focused in the realm of Pan-African cinema (Africa and its diaspora, America, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Europe...). This includes producers, distributors, television, investors, institutions, directors, actors, screen writers, photographers, technicians, designers, props, musicians, etc.

Article 4: The festival is here to help professionals and the general public discover the creations arising from the Pan-African world. To support the continued development of the Pan-African film industry by facilitating the broadcasting of its films.

PART 3: CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION

Article 5: Any person, no matter their origin, can submit a film of the following genres: fiction, animation, experimental or documentary, feature-length or short-length.

Article 6: Only Pan-African filmmakers (Africa, America, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Pacific…) can submit works that contain themes that differ from the Pan-African realm.

Article 7: Film makers may submit more than one production.

Article 8: Candidates must submit their submission form along with a digital link to view their film. They must also pay a €52 registration fee before the deadline stated on the FIFP website (and stated on the film call-out). Registration to the festival grants the “Festival International du Film Panafricain” the right to screen all submitted films. Registration fees for students are 42€ - a photocopy of the student card must be sent to tech@fifp.fr at the same time the submission is made. Then, the festival will validate the registration.


PART 4: subtitle REQUIREMENT

Article 9: No subtitles are required upon film submission. However, once your film is accepted into the festival, the following rules must be followed:

Films presented in english must contain French subtitles.
Films presented in French must contain english subtitles.
Films containing a third or any other language (other than French or english) must contain subtitles in both French and english.

Our viewing public is becoming more bilingual every year and this requirement was instilled to accommodate the viewing public.

Failure to meet this requirement can lead to the elimination of your film from the Festival.

We can assist you with subtitling by proposing solutions from partner translation services.

PART 5: OFFICIAL SELECTION (INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION)

Article 10: Film categories include: short, medium, or feature length fictions, animations, experimental films, clips, and documentaries.

Article 11: Only films that are selected in the official selection (films in competition) are included in the running for the DIKALO Award.

Article 12: The Festival’s council of administration selects a panel of judges composed of a minimum of 5 members chosen from cinema professionals and from the artistic, cultural, and social world.

Article 13: The selected panel of judges cannot have any relations (commercial, production, or family…) to the works in competition.

Article 14: The panel of judges selects and presents the DIKALO awards to the best cinematographic works.

PART 6: FILM SUBMISSION

Article 15: Upon the registration of your film to the FIFP, you agree to exonerate the Festival from any payment of broadcasting or screening fees for the projection of your film as part of the event. No films that are in the official selection will be projected outside any “Festival International du Film Panafricain” theatres during the duration of the entire festival.

Article 16: For the selected films, a digital copy of your film must be sent by email in high definition (either in .MP4, .MOV or .MKV format). Please send your film to tech@fifp.fr via WeTransfer or other file-sharing platforms.

We will not accept any films in DVD format or any other physical formats.

Article 17: Digital copies of accepted films must be received no later than 45 days before the beginning of the Festival. The digital copies must be in good condition for projection. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the elimination of a film from the Festival.

Article 18: Film projection will only be done in digital format.

Article 19: The media must meet standard broadcasting standards. Therefore, for logistical reasons, the DCP format will not be accepted.

Article 20: Shipment of promotional materials to accompany your film must be free of customs or extra duty charges. Packages must also be labeled with “no commercial value”. The Festival holds the right to refuse any additional materials that does not meet this requirement. The Festival will not cover any shipping fees for promotional materials.

Article 21: Copies of the selected films are kept in the FIFP archives as “memory-copies” for our records.

PART 7: AWARD-WINNING FILMS - REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LAURELS

Article 22: Directors and/or producers of award-winning films are welcome to:

- submit a copy of their screening for the festival archives;
- mention the received award in any advertising materials for their film;
- include the received award in any posters or press kits during any distribution of their film.

Article 23: The Dikalos awards are sent to the winners by post if the nominees were not able to travel and receive the award. The shipping costs will be charged to the director or their production team.

PART 8: THE NO-HOSTING RULE FOR FILMMAKERS AND PRODUCERS OF OFFICIALLY SELECTED FILMS

Article 24: The “Festival International du Film Panafricain” is a non-profit organization. We exist thanks the donations we receive from donors. As a result, the FIFP cannot host directors and film professionals of films that are accepted during their stay in Cannes.

PART 7: INSURANCE

Article 25: The films are under the responsibility of the “Festival International du Film Panafricain” as soon as they are received. The “Festival International du Film Panafricain” covers the insurance fees. The responsibility of the “Festival International du Film Panafricain” ends when the copies are returned. In case of loss or deterioration during the festival, the festival is only responsible for the value of the film copy.

PART 8: LITIGATION RULES

Article 22: In case of a dispute, if no agreement has been found, only the Alpes Maritimes jurisdictional court is deemed competent to settle the dispute.