Festival Confrontation - Institut Jean Vigo

Festival Confrontation: Cinema in the Mirror of History

Since 1965, the Festival Confrontation has explored the intimate link between cinema and history. Founded by Marcel Oms, a Catalan film critic and historian, this festival is supported by the Institut Jean Vigo, a Euro-regional film archive located at the Arsenal in Perpignan.

A Thematic and Demanding Festival

Each edition is structured around a theme that guides the selection of about sixty films. The festival explores how cinema represents, questions, and reinvents history and the contemporary world. From documentaries to fiction films, from shorts to features, from classics to the most recent creations, the Festival Confrontation offers a rich and diverse panorama of engaged and reflective cinema.

Themes of Recent Editions

• 2025 (60th edition): "Animal Cinema" — Cinema facing the animal world
• 2026 (61st edition): "Our Futures" — How cinema represents the future we imagine

The Institut Jean Vigo: A Film Archive at the Heart of Perpignan

The Institut Jean Vigo is a Euro-regional film archive located at the Arsenal, 1 rue Jean Vielledent, in the historic center of Perpignan. Named in homage to filmmaker Jean Vigo, born in Paris but son of Catalan activist Miguel Almereyda, the Institute preserves, restores, and distributes a considerable cinematographic heritage, with a particular focus on Catalan, Spanish, and Mediterranean cinemas.

Massa Mare: The Professional Segment

Since its creation, Massa Mare has been the professional workshop of the Festival Confrontation. This professional meeting, organized during the first three days of the festival, brings together filmmakers, producers, distributors, and programmers around film projects in development.

An Ecological and Civic Commitment

The Festival Confrontation is committed to an eco-responsible approach and co-founded the écho(s) collective, bringing together associative festivals committed to environmental issues in the Pyrénées-Orientales, mobilizing 11 festivals in the department.