Festival Issni N`ourgh International Du Film Amazighe - Agadir - (17)

Festival start: 01 October 2026      Festival end: 05 October 2026

Issni N’Ourgh, meaning “Golden Crown”, is an Amazigh film festival founded in the city of Agadir. Now marking 19 years of existence, the festival has gradually established itself as a key platform for the promotion of Amazigh cinema. Once addressed mainly to Amazigh-speaking audiences, Amazigh films are today screened and recognized at numerous international film festivals worldwide.

For its third international edition this year, the festival embraces a truly global perspective by launching an international competition open to filmmakers from all continents and by welcoming films from the cinemas of peoples around the world. The selected films will be screened during the festival and evaluated by a jury composed of film professionals.

This year’s program highlights works that reflect the diversity of world cultures and the voices of different peoples, while addressing major contemporary challenges.
Through varied cinematic approaches, the selected films explore themes such as migration, globalization, environmental preservation, and the promotion of peace and tolerance.

Through FINIFA, Issni N’Ourgh aims to strengthen its position on the international film scene while actively promoting Amazigh culture worldwide. By celebrating cultural diversity, fostering dialogue between peoples, and upholding universal human values, the festival contributes to building a more open, inclusive, and tolerant world.

Cash Prizes: 15€

International Competition Awards:

- Best Short Film
- Best Actress Award
- Best Actor Award
- Best Screenplay Award
- Jury Prize
- Best Film

Amazigh Competition Awards:

- Ider Yahiya Award for Best Short Film
- Best Documentary
- Best Actress Award
- Best Actor Award
- Best Screenplay Award
- Jury Prize
- Grand Issni N'Ourgh FINIFA Prize

The jury of each edition is free to introduce additional awards, such as Best Musical Score, Editing, Cinematography, and more.

At Issni N'Ourgh, there is no boundary between documentary and fiction.

Regulations of the Festival Issni N’ourgh International du Film Amazighe- FINIFA-

Nomination:

FINIFA - Festival Issni N’ourgh International du Film Amazighe – Issni N’ourgh


Presentation:

Issni N’ourgh, or "Golden crown," is an Amazigh film festival that originated in the city of Agadir. It has gained popularity over the years, and Amazigh films, which once had a limited audience among the Amazigh community, are now being screened at renowned festivals worldwide.

For this edition, the festival focuses on global diversity and has launched an international competition open to all filmmakers worldwide. Selected films will be screened during the festival and judged by a jury composed of cinema professionals.

This year's program will showcase films that reflect the diversity of global cultures while highlighting the challenges these cultures face in the modern world. Selected films will explore themes such as migration, globalization, environmental preservation, and the promotion of peace and tolerance.

The Issni N’ourgh or FINIFA aims to become a major event in the global cinematic scene and to promote Amazigh culture worldwide. By celebrating cultural diversity and universal values and encouraging dialogue, it contributes to building a more open and tolerant world.

Objectives:

The Issni N’ourgh Amazigh Film Festival aims primarily to promote cultural exchange among different communities through selected films, highlighting the richness and diversity of cultures worldwide. It also encourages international cooperation among directors, producers, and actors to develop joint projects that transcend borders and language barriers.

The festival promotes dialogue and mutual understanding by exploring universal themes such as love, family, war and peace, social justice, etc. Selected films raise awareness among audiences about social, political, and environmental issues, prompting reflection and action.

The goal is also to create a movement of artistic competition among production houses to professionalize the Amazigh film sector and encourage various stakeholders in the national audiovisual sector to further support Amazigh film production.

The festival encourages the creation of bridges between different film genres (documentary, fiction, animation, experimental, etc.) to broaden perspectives and creative possibilities and showcases the global cinematic heritage by screening classic films and organizing retrospectives to better understand the evolution of this art form and its impact on society.

Finally, the festival seeks to modernize the Moroccan Amazigh film sector, bring Amazigh cinematic products closer to the global audience, provide constructive critical support to steer cinema towards more beneficial professionalism, spur investment in major productions to promote the image of Moroccan cinema nationally and internationally, and foster collaboration among actors and technicians operating in Amazigh expression cinema to improve their situation and productivity.

The Amazigh competition of the festival is open to all producers and directors who have created a film in the Amazigh language, subtitled in French or English. Only fiction films and documentaries, whether long or short, will be accepted in the festival's official competition.

Directors may submit multiple works to the festival, but only one will be admitted to the official competition.

Other productions may be screened out of competition. As for the international competition, it is also open to all producers and directors who have created a film in their original language, subtitled in French or English. Only fiction films and documentaries, whether long or short, will be accepted in the international competition of the festival. Directors may also submit multiple works for this competition, but only one will be admitted to the official competition. Other productions may be screened out of competition.


Film Submission:

• Submitting films to FINIFA obligatorily entails making the screening rights available to the FINIFA - Festival Issni N’ourgh International du Film Amazighe.

• For the international competition, film submissions are made online on the platform announced by the festival.

• For the Amazigh competition, film submissions are made via the registration form provided by the festival.

• Registration will be definitively approved upon receipt of the signed form with all film elements, including a high-quality copy or in other formats, the synopsis, director and film photos, and the film poster in high quality, along with the distribution agreement signed by the producer or director for obtaining the cultural visa from the Moroccan Cinematographic Center.

• Confirmation of receipt of submitted films will be sent to the sender via email.

• All shipping charges for films and registration forms will be borne by the sender.

• The deadline for submission and sending of film elements and director information is set for Jun 25, 2026. For both official competitions, the selection committee will review all submitted films and will be solely authorized to accept or reject any film proposed for the festival.

• Film selection notifications will be communicated via email no later than August 2026.

• Selected films must be sent to the festival's email before June 13, 2025, and must be verified by the sender before shipment to avoid any anomalies or damage that may occur during scanning.

• The festival does not cover the reshipment costs of copies of selected and non-selected films.

• The FINIFA organizing committee appoints a jury consisting of at least three members from artistic, cultural, social, and media domains.

• The prizes to be awarded to the winners of the 16th edition of FINIFA are under negotiation and will be announced on the official festival page as soon as possible.

• In case of dispute, if no amicable settlement can be reached, only the courts of Agadir will have exclusive jurisdiction to resolve the dispute.