The poster for this edition, unveiled in Seville, features a Berber or Amazigh woman in a dreamlike landscape, symbolizing the geographical bridge the festival aims to build towards African islands. This thematic focus will be reflected in both the retrospective and the dialogues and reflections held during the event.
This will be the first FCAT edition without Mane Cisneros at the helm, who founded and directed the festival for 22 years. Management has been taken over by a steering committee composed of five professionals from her team, all with extensive experience in organizing this celebration of African cinema.
During the presentation at the Cultural Initiatives Center of the University of Seville (CICUS), Federico Olivieri, spokesperson for the steering committee, emphasized the project's continuity. The event was attended by important cultural and international institutions, including the Consul General of Portugal in Seville, the director of the Tres Culturas Foundation, and representatives from the Andalusian Audiovisual Council, the French Institute, and the Andalucía Film Commission.
“"Since its inception, FCAT has not only sought to be a showcase for African cinematographies in our country, but also a space for knowledge and training on the aspects that define the cinemas of the neighboring continent."
The central theme, titled Shared Shores: Images of African Islands, will explore how cinema constructs the narratives of sovereign states such as Cape Verde, Madagascar, The Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba, as well as their Caribbean diasporas. The goal is to decolonize the perspective on these geographies, highlighting production and community creation in environments marked by insularity.
Programmer Marion Berger, also a member of the steering committee, announced that the retrospective will include about 15 film sessions from African and Afro-Caribbean islands, reflecting on insular identity, history, and creativity. Tangier-based photographer and visual artist Mehdi Sefrioui is the author of the poster, a work that is part of his project The future that was and uses artificial intelligence to reimagine local identities.
In addition to the main venues, FCAT will maintain its extension in Seville. The Tres Culturas Foundation will host three screenings from the competitive section on May 25, 26, and 27, while CICUS will offer morning screenings for students on May 12, 19, and 26. The jury for the En Breve competition section, which awards the Best African Short Film, will be composed of Andalusian professionals including Cristina Consuegra, Diana Sagrista, and Reyes Gallegos.
