Luanda — A total of 53 films have been selected to compete in the 8th Edition of the Luanda International Film Festival (FIC) 2026, running from Oct 28 to Nov 2, event director Jorge Cohan announced on Wednesday (30) in the country's capital.
According to the official, who was speaking at a press conference, out of the total, 23 films are eligible for the national category and 30 for the international one, with both groups divided into the categories of feature-length fiction, documentary, and short film.
He revealed that the winners in the feature-length fiction category will receive a prize of Kz 5.000,000 (USD 1 = Kz 912), documentaries will receive Kz 3.000,000, and short films will receive Kz 1.500,000.
Jorge Cohan said that in addition to the films in competition, others will be screened, totaling more than 100 across different sessions.
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The festival sessions, he stated, will be distributed among the Cine Teatro Nacional, Cinemax Fortaleza, Guimarães Rosa Institute, the Camões and Luanda Science cultural centers, and will also include Cine Zunga sessions at Largo do Kinaxixi.
According to the source, the festival will serve as a meeting point and training hub with creative workshops and project development labs, and will feature panel discussions on planning, distribution, and production.
The event director revealed that there was a surprise submission of entries for some children's and youth films, which is why a new non-competitive category for children was opened.
In this regard, he announced that animated films such as "Capitão Angola", "O Super Moçambique", "O Meu Guerreiro Favorito", and "Txepa" will be screened, helping to bring a new audience to national cinema.
For her part, event programmer Dreça Manuel noted that the biggest challenge in selecting national films, in particular, was the number received, as well as understanding each film's intent without judging by personal taste.
Another challenge involved understanding how each selected film manages to bring a unique narrative, aligning with the narrative the programmers and selectors want to bring to the festival.
Dreça Manuel highlighted the festival as a platform that values Angolan and international cinema with a high degree of interest for the makers of this art form.
Promoted by the National Agency for Cultural and Creative Industries (ANICC), FIC Luanda will be produced by "Geração 80", returning 11 years later with over 100 films from more than 20 countries.
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Notable highlights in the event's programming include international films such as "My Father's Shadow" (Nigeria) by Akinola Davis Jr., "Congo Boy" (Congo) by Rafiki Fariala, "O Riso e a Faca" (Portugal) by Pedro Pinho, "Narciso" (Brazil) by Jefferson De, and "Sirât" (Spain) by Oliver Laxe.
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