FIC Luanda 2026 Presents First Films from its International Competition Category

The Luanda International Film Festival (FIC Luanda) 2026 has announced a list of international feature films featuring works from filmmakers from Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Spain, among others. The festival taking place from October 28 to November 2 in Luanda will have this film feature at the International Fiction Competition strand of the festival. FIC is positioning itself as a new platform for the discovery, circulation, and exchange of African and international cinema.

FIC Luanda returns 11 years after its last edition, at a time of renewal for Angolan cinema and increased exchange with other filmmakers. The International Fiction Competition marks this new chapter of the festival, bringing together a selection of documentaries, feature films and short films by African, European and South American filmmakers, produced between 2025 and 2026.

Among the confirmed titles are South African Devon Delmar and Jason Jacobs’ Variations on a Theme which won the Best Film Award at the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam, Spanish Oliver Laxe’s Sirat, winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Democratic Republic of Congo Rafiki Fariala’s Congo Boy which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard where it received the Best Actor Award. The preliminary list already announced also includes titles such as Angolan Pocas Pascoa’s Time to Change, Portuguese Pedro Pinho’s I Only Rest in the Storm, Spanish Miguel Eek’s Amilcar, Brazilian Jeferson De’s Narciso and Nigerian Kewa Oni’s The Odds. 

“The selection of these first films reflects, on one hand, FIC Luanda’s ambition to create a platform capable of bringing different cinematographies closer together, placing Angola in dialogue with the international festival circuit and promoting greater circulation of stories and talent between Africa and the world; and, on the other hand, the intention to present films that represent the remarkable moment of contemporary African cinema,” said Lara Sousa, the festival’s programmer.

These films create a dialogue between different cultures, experiences, and storytelling approaches, exploring universal themes such as identity, survival, dreams, and transformation, while revealing the diversity of voices shaping contemporary cinema. FIC Luanda 2026 is expected to present approximately 120 films from more than 18 countries, distributed across national and international competitive sections, as well as parallel showcases. The program will also include complementary activities aimed at promoting training and exchange between filmmakers, industry professionals and diverse audiences.

The return of FIC Luanda is part of a broader movement to revitalize Angola’s audiovisual sector, promoted by the National Agency for Cultural and Creative Industries (ANICC) of Angola. The rehabilitation of cinemas, investment in training, and the strengthening of conditions for the production, circulation and exhibition of films within FIC Luanda 2026 are part of this strategy to rebuild a sustainable connection between creators, the industry and audiences.

In the coming years, FIC Luanda aims to establish itself among the leading cinematic events on the African continent, contributing to the strengthening of film production, distribution and exhibition networks across Sub-Saharan Africa.