DjarFogo International Film Festival

DjarFogo International Film Festival His Excellency, Mr. President of the Republic of Cabo Verde, Jose Maria Pereira Neves, will chair the opening night of DIFF22. Canon Burbank, U.S.A.

🎥 DIFF25 ignites the screen with powerful African and Diaspora stories, honoring 50 years of Cape Verdean independence through the lens of freedom, fire, and fearless cinema. The 2nd edition of the DJÂRFOGO International Film Festival (DIFF) will take place on the island of Santiago and Fogo, Cabo Verde, West Africa, from November 7 to November 12, 2022. With more than 570 films submitted, the DIF

F22 will select 125 films, short and feature, which includes 25 competing for nine award prizes in all categories. DIFF22 aims to bring over a hundred filmmakers and guests worldwide, showing 125 short and feature films. DIFF22 is one of a kind because it provides free training in film production through practical workshops and masterclasses to encourage and awaken the archipelago, West Africa, and the Diaspora young people, especially those on the island of Fogo, Cabo Verde. We focus on teaching all aspects of film production and visual arts to promote and exhibit independent African cinema, emphasizing C.P.L.P., West Africa, and the Diaspora. All without any financial burden to this next generation of African filmmakers. A nonprofit organization sponsors DIFF with a fiscal sponsor, "Creative Visions Foundation," a 501©️ 3 organization based in Malibu, California, the U.S.A., with its headquarters in Los Angeles and Cabo Verde. It serves as a mentor at the Cabo Verde International Film and Audiovisual School and aims to raise awareness, train, and educate disadvantaged young Africans in visual arts and cinema. Thus, reducing poverty, appreciating African culture, and promoting tourism. Your sponsorship will significantly impact and provide a potent educational opportunity for youth to understand the World and Black Cinema. It will help bring directors, producers, students, professors, and investors across the Diaspora, United States of America, Europe, and Africa to Cabo Verde. More than a million people watch our program, including Cape Verdeans from the Diaspora, broadcast live streaming in 2022, making it one of the largest Cabo Verde film festivals. The 2nd edition will pay homage to OUSMANE SAMBÈNE, the father of African Cinema, and SAFY FAYE, the first Sub-Saharan African female to direct a commercially distributed feature film. The homage list includes filmmakers from several nations, including Dom Pedro, Chike Nwoffiah, Manthia Diawara, Idriss Diabaté, Pedro Costa, Rui Simões, and others. All this activity directly reflects on Fogo's international projection and mainly on the socio-economic development, valuing the island as a World Biosphere Reserve, approved by UNESCO in 2020, as well as contributing to the creation of brand images of local and country products. The program's cultural diplomacy and multiculturalism help promote sustainable local development strategies. For the DIFF22 to be successful and achieve its goals, we must form partnerships and raise funds to cover all the expenses of 235,000.00 US Dollars. A detailed budget is available upon request. All contributions to the DIFF are tax-deductible, and the Employer ID number is available upon request. TXAN FILM WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING DCFIFF PARTNERS. Mount Saint Mary's University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; actor, activist, and producer Danny Glover, Marcus Garvey School, Consulate of Cape Verde Boston, (USA), National Institute of Cinema of Guinea-Bissau, Fespaco, Amílcar Cabral Foundation, Padre Pio Gottin, Casas Do Sol Auditorium, EME-Marketing e Eventos, Lda, Vinha Maria Chaves, Água do Fogo, PBS Professional Art Communication and Tourism, Sociedade Intercultural Morabeza, Lda., Cape Verde Cinema and Audiovisual Association, Municipality of Praia City, Isatour, Lda, Raiz di Polon, Casa Marisa, Municipality of Santa Catarina do Fogo, Municipality of Mosteiros, Delegation of the Ministry of Education, Binter Airlines, Humana Skala (Cape Verde), Real Ficção, (Portugal) Afrykamera Festival (Poland), Lusiadas University (Angola). Also, we thank you for the institutional support of UNESCO, The Community of Portuguese Language Countries, Pedro Pires Institute, Fundação Infância Feliz, Fundação José Maria Neves, Los Angeles Valley College, Los Angeles City College, Pan African Film & Arts Festival, F.E.S.P.A.C.O., BadWest-Black Filmmakers West, and the International Documentary Association, California City Arts Commission, Directors Guild of America, Pan African Film & Arts Festival, and many others. For more information about the festival, please visit
www.djarfogofilm.org. Awards & Prizes
Award:
- Best Narrative Feature
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best Short Film
- Best Short Documentary
- Best Student Short
- Best Animated Short

Jury Award:
- Best Feature Film
- Best Actress
- Best Actor
- Best Cinematography
- Best Director

Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking:
- Directing
- Feature Film
- Acting
- Screenwriting
- National Film
- Cinematography
- Editing
- Short Film

🎬✨ The Countdown BeginsA new chapter of African cinema is about to unfold. 🌍🔥The Grand Opening of DIFF25 takes place on ...
10/07/2025

🎬✨ The Countdown Begins
A new chapter of African cinema is about to unfold. 🌍🔥

The Grand Opening of DIFF25 takes place on November 3rd —
where stories rise from volcanic soil, and freedom speaks through film. 🌋🎞️

To all selected filmmakers: stay tuned.
Your vision will soon illuminate screens across Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.

10/04/2025

🎬 DIFF25 is Here!
✨ 75 Films. 53 Countries. 1 Movement. One Week of Celebration.

We proudly announce the official selection for the 5th Edition of the DjârFogo International Film Festival (DIFF25) — a breathtaking mosaic of stories forged in African soil, nurtured by the Diaspora, and echoed across the world.

📅 November 3–8, 2025 — Santiago & Fogo, Cape Verde
📅 November 30–December 3, 2025 — Guinea-Bissau

🌍 Theme: “Through the Lens of Freedom – Celebrating 50 Years of Cape Verdean Independence”

🎞️ Highlights:
🌍 75 Films from 53 Countries
🎓 Launch of CinéRise Film School
🎬 Africa Film Lab
🔥 Tribute to Souleymane Cissé (1940–2025)
🇧🇫 Spotlight on Burkina Faso & the Alliance of Sahel States
🏛️ Cultural Pilgrimage: Amílcar Cabral Foundation, Cidade Velha, Tarrafal

💫 Join us online and in person for a global celebration of freedom, creativity, and unity.
Together, we celebrate the power of cinema to educate, heal, and transform.

🌐 www.djarfogofilmfestival.org

📲 Follow:

🎬✨ Congratulations, Filmmakers!You made it to the DIFF25 submission stage! 🌍🔥Join our Filmmakers’ Zoom Session for exclu...
09/26/2025

🎬✨ Congratulations, Filmmakers!

You made it to the DIFF25 submission stage! 🌍🔥
Join our Filmmakers’ Zoom Session for exclusive insights from the DIFF Jury — learn how to strengthen your future festival submissions. 🎥💡

📅 Monday, Sept 29, 2025
🕙 10:00 AM PST (Los Angeles)
💻 Zoom Link

🔑 Passcode: gb6EtB

🎞️ Let’s rise together — one story, one continent, one destiny.

🔥 10 DAYS TO GO! 🔥The countdown is on — DIFF25 Notification Date: September 20, 2025.🎬 Through the Lens of Freedom – Cel...
09/10/2025

🔥 10 DAYS TO GO! 🔥
The countdown is on — DIFF25 Notification Date: September 20, 2025.

🎬 Through the Lens of Freedom – Celebrating 50 Years of Cape Verdean Independence

This November, DIFF25 will bring together filmmakers, students, producers, and audiences from Africa and the Diaspora to celebrate cinema as freedom, memory, and resistance.

📅 Festival Dates:
✨ Santiago — Nov 3–5, 2025
✨ Fogo — Nov 6–8, 2025
✨ Guinea-Bissau — Nov 30–Dec 3, 2025

📍 Born in fire, raised in memory — DIFF is the only international film festival in West Africa created in the heart of a volcano. Together, we are writing a Pan-African cinema the world cannot ignore.

🌍 www.djarfogofilm.org

📩 [email protected]

📲

Where fire becomes freedom, and freedom becomes film.

08/11/2025

To the people of São Vicente,

Our hearts are with you.
The storm has taken lives, shattered homes, and shaken your island — but it will never break your spirit.

We at the DjârFogo International Film Festival stand in solidarity with all who are grieving and those facing the hardest days ahead. In this dark hour, your resilience is the light that will lead the way forward.

We are here. We stand with you. Always.

DjârFogo International Film Festival

🎬 SUBMISSIONS CLOSED✅ Thank you to all filmmakers who entered  !📌 Want to submit your film?Request a waiver code now:👉 f...
08/11/2025

🎬 SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
✅ Thank you to all filmmakers who entered !

📌 Want to submit your film?
Request a waiver code now:
👉 filmfreeway.com/DjarFogoInternationalFilmFestival

🌍 | |

🔥 FINAL CALL: 2 DAYS LEFT! 🔥The DjârFogo International Film Festival (DIFF25) has extended its submission deadline — but...
07/31/2025

🔥 FINAL CALL: 2 DAYS LEFT! 🔥
The DjârFogo International Film Festival (DIFF25) has extended its submission deadline — but only for TWO MORE DAYS!

🎥 Share your story.
🌍 Join a movement that celebrates freedom, heritage, and bold cinema.

📌 SUBMIT NOW → https://filmfreeway.com/DjarFogoInternationalFilmFestival

07/19/2025

DIFF25 — Cinema as a Weapon of Freedom!

The journey continues. From Santiago (Nov 3–5) to Fogo (Nov 6–8), DIFF25 expands its bold cinematic wave across Cape Verde. We honor Souleymane Cissé — the lens of African freedom — alongside tributes to Ana Maria Cabral and Adélia Pires, icons of resistance and independence.

The grand finale in Guinea-Bissau salutes Flora Gomes and Sana Na N’Hada — pioneers who turned the camera into a weapon for freedom.

Join the movement. Submit your film and be part of Africa’s rising cinematic force.
👉 https://filmfreeway.com/DjarFogoInternationalFilmFestival
[email protected]

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Los Angeles, CA

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