The 18th edition of the Tarifa-Tangier African Film Festival (FCAT), marks its return from May 28 to June 6 in a hybrid way, face-to-face in Tarifa, with Espacio Escuela (FCAT educational train) from Morocco and Spain, in more than several virtual events.
According to the director of the festival, in the edition of the 18 years of this meeting with the cinemas of Africa, “The philosophy is that of always: to be on horseback between two countries, two continents, different languages and between various cultural traditions, again adapted with certainty to the reality in which we find ourselves”.
For Mane Cisneros, “The profound changes that have taken place in cinemas on the African continent have led these cinematographies in the past largely ignored by international film festivals to today be the object of ambition and competition between major festivals”.
The director of the FCAT is delighted with the ever greater openness to these realities which are “A pure filmic revolution which emerges as a unique aesthetic conquest in contemporary cinema”.
The 18 FCAT presentation ceremony in Seville ended in the patio of the CICUS with a mini concert by Esther Weekes Jazz Flamenco Trio and its project “Crossroads”, a compilation of emblematic blues songs passed by flamenco that crosses the cultural limits to explore new artistic territories.
The 2020 edition of the Tarifa-Tangier African Film Festival will be marked by the focus on Sudan and its cinematography, very little known but which has acquired a new dynamism in recent times with a presence in international festivals.
The meeting with Morocco remains very important for the FCAT, where the Spanish cultural centers of different cities of the country will welcome this year Espacio Escuela (educational train) of the festival, given that the current limitations due to the pandemic do not allow more activities to be developed during this edition.
The Maghreb country and the Spanish autonomous community are regions with a common history, with deep historical and cultural links that this festival renews by extending a bridge of cinema and culture in the Strait of Gibraltar.
An FCAT LAB post-production workshop is also planned since the African Film Festival has observed in its last editions not only the increase in the number of African films currently produced, but also the increased interest that these productions generate in the main festivals. international and in global audiovisual markets.
The first edition of FCAT LAB will take place in online format as part of the international competition, thanks to the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the cooperation of different Spanish and international companies. There will be a masterclass of international experts, one-to-one meetings and prizes which will be awarded as part of a project contract.
Until April 15, these projects can be part of an initiative that aims to increase the visibility and opportunities of films in post-production by presenting them to sales agents, distributors, VOD platforms and buyers in general. which are physically or virtually addressed to the FCAT.