Festival International du Cinéma Indépendant et de l’Art Théâtral (12)

Festival start: 25 March 2026      Festival end: 28 March 2026

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The PROMOTER OF FICIAT, Mrs. Alvine KOUAMBO, is pleased to announce the 12th edition of the International Festival of Independent Cinema and Theatrical Art "FICIAT".Scheduled from March 25 to 28, 2026, in Bafoussam - Cameroon.

This event, initiated by the association Screen for the Renewal of African Culture, abbreviated as "ERECA", will bring together actors from Cinema and theatrical art from all corners of the world.

The theme of this edition is "FROM THE STAGE TO THE SCREEN: SPARKING IMAGINATION, CONNECTING PEOPLES, AND UNITING CULTURES."Submissions for films and theatrical performances that will be in competition and out of competition during the Festival are welcomed. For this Festival, a gigantic platform named will be established. This is where the main activities of the Festival will be concentrated. Spaces will be available, but in very selective quantities.

FICIAT is under the high patronage of the Ministry of Arts and the Culture of Cameroon. It is registered under No. 024/MINAC/SG/DASEC/SAEC/012, as well as in the register of International Film Festivals at the WITHOUTABOX organization in the United States of America under ID No. 11,891.

For all information, please refer to the following address:

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA AND THEATRICAL ART Building, next to Tennis Club
P.O. Box: 557 Bafoussam-Cameroon
Tel: (237) 657 571 058 / 699 840 853 / 673 282 619
E-mail: infos.ficiat@gmail.com
Website: http://ficiat.net
Facebook: Ficiat



Best regards!

The Jury must award the following prizes:

For Films

• Golden Silhouette for Best Film
• Golden Silhouette for the Special Jury Prize
• Golden Silhouette for Best Actor
• Golden Silhouette for Best Screenplay
• Golden Silhouette for Best Artistic Contribution and Innovation

For plays:

• Golden Silhouette for Best Play
• Golden Silhouette for Special Jury Prize
• Golden Silhouette for Best Playwriting
• Golden Silhouette for Best Artistic Contribution and Innovation

I. AIM

The aim of the International Festival of Independent Cinema and Theatrical Art (FICIAT) is to promote independent cinema and theatrical art, to encourage cinematographic and theatrical diversity; to propagate cinematographic and theatrical art by stimulating the development of quality cinema and theater; to promote opportunities for North-South and South-South co-production and co-publishing, to discover and encourage new talents, to promote meetings between cinema and theater professionals from around the world, to contribute to human development and the mixing of peoples through the medium of images.

II-DATE

The 12th edition of the International Festival of Independent Cinema and Theatrical Art will be held from March 25 to 28, 2026

III-SELECTION

The Selection Committee chooses the films and plays that will be presented in Competition and out of competition.

Only films and plays meeting the following criteria may be chosen and invited to the Official Selection:

1° have been produced or written within the twenty-four months preceding the Festival;

2° priority will be given to previously unpublished works;

3° serve the purpose of the Festival as defined in Article 1 (PURPOSE);

4° Films or plays whose dialogue language is other than French or english must be subtitled in either French or english;

5° Cameroonian films must be accompanied by an EXPLOITATION VISA ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF ARTS AND CULTURE OF CAMEROON (MINAC).

6° The presence of either the Director of the film, or the author of the theatrical work in Competition or his representative is obligatory.

IV. SENDING AND TRANSPORT OF COPIES OR OTHER MATERIALS

Films must be submitted exclusively in digital format in the following formats: AVI, MP4, MPEG4, or H.264 (HD1080p25) via WETRANSFERT or VIMEO and by email to infos.ficiat@gmail.com
Plays must be physically submitted to the FICIAT headquarters in Bafoussam.

In exceptional cases, the costs of transport and freight forwarding for both outward and return journeys are the responsibility of the director, producer or their representative. This applies to both selected films and those submitted to the Festival for possible selection.


V-PROGRAMMATION

The International Festival of Independent Cinema and Theatre Arts is open to the following genres in the FILMS category:

 Fiction
 Music Video
 Documentaries
 Animation
 Religious Films
 Series (2 episodes)

The International Festival of Independent Cinema and Theatre Arts is open in the "PLAYS" category to the following genres:

 Comedy
 Tragedy
 Tragicomedy
 Drama

VI-ACCEPTATION

The registration or submission of a film or play to the Festival implies acceptance of these Regulations by the directors and producers or their representatives; as well as the authors and publishers or their representatives.

NO FILM OR PLAY REGISTERED AND SELECTED MAY BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE FESTIVAL.

Once selected, no film or play may be withdrawn from the program during the event for the duration of the FICIAT. None of the invited films or plays may be screened outside of the Festival venues before its official end. If the director/writer or their representative borrows the copy for screenings organized outside of the Festival, the Festival will not be responsible for any loss or damage incurred during such borrowing.

VII- SUPPORT

The Director of the film or the Author of the theatrical work in competition (or their representative) will be accommodated during the last two (2) days of the Festival, except in exceptional cases.

VIII-EXCLUSIONS

For all categories (competitive and non-competitive), films or plays of an industrial or advertising nature, racist, pornographic, based on gratuitous violence, or political propaganda are not permitted.

IX-JURY

The Organizing Committee appoints a President and four (4) other individuals to make up the Jury. Jury members may not be associated in any way with a film or play in competition. Organizing members of the festival and anyone interested in the production or exploitation of a film or play in competition may not be members of the Juries.

X- deadline

The deadline for submitting FILMS and THEATRE PLAYS is February 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. deadline


XI- PROMOTION AND PUBLICATION OF THE awards

By participating in the Festival, the winners of all competitive categories agree to use as a priority in any promotional or advertising activities (posters, announcements, etc.) the name or logo of the International Festival of Independent Cinema and Theatrical Art, as well as the prize obtained.

XII- EXECUTIVE POWER

The President of Ecran pour le Renouveau de la Culture Africaine (ERECA), the organizing association of the Festival, has the authority to resolve any issues not covered by these rules.

Participation in the International Festival of Independent Cinema and Theatrical Art implies adherence to these rules and prior compliance with the preselection conditions.