FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DE PASTO (21)

Festival start: 25 September 2025      Festival end: 28 September 2025

The International Film Festival of Pasto (FICPA), which celebrates its 21 edition in October 2025, is a prominent competitive event that brings together the best of national and international cinema. With official categories covering a wide range of topics, from human rights to the environment, including animation and children's films, FICPA offers a unique platform for diversity and cinematic expression. Located in the picturesque city of Pasto, Colombia, globally recognized for its iconic Carnival of Blacks and Whites, the festival not only celebrates the art of cinema but also highlights the rich cultural heritage of the region. As the oldest event in southwestern Colombia, FICPA awards the coveted Sol de los Pastos (Sun of the Pastos) prize, establishing itself as a must-attend event on both the local and international cultural calendar.

The Festival awards a variety of prizes that reflect the rich culture and traditions of the region. In the official Sol de los Pastos category, a unique statuette representing the sun is presented, with a film frame at its center, allowing awardees to look through it. This wooden sculpture, adorned with tamo and Pasto varnish, a Colombian artisanal technique undergoing international recognition, is a piece without commercial value. Winning films receive this statuette, while non-winners are awarded with a diploma. In the Official Churo Cósmico Selection, national films selected in each category receive a statuette or plaque representing a monkey with its tail coiled in a spiral, symbolizing the inward-outward movement and cosmic thinking of the indigenous communities of Pasto. In the official Cámaras de Barniz category, Sol de los Pastos statuettes are awarded in different sizes and colors. Additionally, Colombian productions have the opportunity to receive an automatic grant from the FDC of up to one million pesos for travel and accommodation expenses.

RULES

• Opening: June 10, 2025
• Closing Dates

o Standard national and international call: August 1, 2025

o Extended closing date only through international platforms: August 8, 2025

o Closing date for the Barniz (Nariñense) camera category: July 8, 2024
(Works outside these deadlines will not be accepted under any circumstances)

Language: Spanish or with subtitles in this language.

THOSE ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE:

• Productions with a free theme.
• Productions from any country.
• Short films up to 30 minutes
• Feature-length and medium-length films of 31 minutes or more

THESE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE:

• Productions completed and released before 2021.
• Promotional productions that promote or advertise institutions or companies, such as institutional documentaries.
• Television series or programs.

2025 CATEGORIES
OFFICIAL SELECTION SOL DE LOS PASTOS (Main Competition)

* Andean Feature Film (made in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina)
* National and International Feature Film
* National and International Short Film
OFFICIAL SELECTION CHURO CÓSMICO (Thematic Selection)
* Diversity (gender, indigenous, Afro-descendant, room)
* Consciousness (human rights and the environment)
* Animation
* Children's (for children)
OFFICIAL SELECTION CÁMARAS DE BARNIZ (Nariñá selection)
* Regional Short Film (Depending on participation in the call, feature films from Nariño may also participate)
* Regional Video Clip
* Intermunicipal Regional Film Competition (made by children and young people in primary and high school)
* University Marathon (Filmmaking competition with a specific theme for Young university/technical/technological/drop-out students over 16 years of age, this call will be made independently)

SUBMISSION METHODS

• Through the international platform Festhome: Only for national and international productions (registration fee applies).

• Through the form available on the website (www.ficpa.co): Only for Nariñense, national, and Andean productions (free).

If shortlisted, you must sign the authorization for final selection and exhibition. Submission through the international platforms authorizes the exhibition of the production.
awards

In the Official Sun of Pastos category, a unique statuette representing the sun will be awarded, with a film frame in its center, allowing the winners to look through it. This wooden sculpture is decorated with straw and Pasto varnish, a Colombian artisanal technique gaining international recognition. The winning films receive this statuette, while the non-winning films are recognized with a diploma.

In the Official Cosmic Churo category, the winning national films in each category receive a statuette or plaque depicting a monkey with its tail coiled in a spiral, symbolizing the inner-outward movement and the cosmic thinking of the indigenous communities of Nariño.

In the Official Varnish Chambers category, Sol de los Pastos statuettes are awarded in various sizes and colors.