Festival des 3 Continents

The Festival des 3 Continents: A Window onto World Cinemas

Since 1979, the Festival des 3 Continents has held a unique place in the global film landscape. Founded in Nantes by brothers Philippe and Alain Jalladeau, it is the first international festival entirely dedicated to the cinemas of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. This pioneering mission has helped introduce major filmmakers such as Hou Hsiao-hsien, Abbas Kiarostami, Souleymane Cissé, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul to European audiences.

A Rich and Demanding Program

The heart of the festival is its international competition, which each year presents about ten feature films in their French or world premiere. The selected films are judged by a professional jury that awards the Golden Montgolfier and the Silver Montgolfier, as well as by a young jury and the public, who award their own prizes.

Alongside the competition, the festival offers special screenings, retrospectives dedicated to great filmmakers, tributes to cinema personalities, and thematic programs that shed light on the aesthetic, social, and political issues of the cinemas of the three continents.

A Commitment to Transmission and Training

The Festival des 3 Continents is not limited to film screenings. It is also a major player in professional training through the Produire au Sud program, an international workshop that supports emerging producers in developing their projects. This internationally recognized initiative has contributed to the emergence of numerous award-winning films at major festivals.

The young audience program, titled "Premiers Pas vers les 3 Continents" (First Steps towards the 3 Continents), offers screenings suitable for children aged 3 and up, accompanied by cultural mediation, affirming the festival's commitment to training the audiences of tomorrow.

A Festival Rooted in its Territory

Based in Nantes, the festival invests several cinemas and cultural venues in the city and its metropolitan area each year, notably the Katorza, the Cinématographe, the Concorde, the Espace Cosmopolis, and the Théâtre Graslin. Screenings are also organized in towns in Loire-Atlantique such as Ancenis, Clisson, Héric, Saint-Herblain, and Saint-Nazaire, strengthening the festival's territorial roots.