Lumières d'Afrique

Lumières d'Afrique: Besançon, Showcase for African Cinema

Since 2003, the Lumières d'Afrique festival has made Besançon a prime meeting place between African cinema and the French public. The choice of Besançon is no coincidence: the city is the birthplace of the Lumière brothers, inventors of the cinematograph, and of Victor Hugo, creating a strong symbolic link between cinematic heritage and cultural openness.

A Festival Born from Civil Society

The festival was born in 2001 from the initiative of a group of national associations and structures related to the African continent based in Besançon. Supported by APACA (Association for the Promotion of African Arts and Cultures), it took its current form in 2003 with the organization of an annual edition each autumn.

Three Competitions and Five Sections

The festival offers a program structured around three competitions divided into five sections:

• Feature Fiction Films: the heart of the official competition
• Short Fiction Films: a discovery space for short formats
• Documentaries: documentary perspectives on African realities
• Les Écrans blancs: a space for militant associations in Besançon linked to the African continent
• Afrimômes: cinema, entertainment, and meetings for young audiences

A Window onto African Diversity

Each edition presents over 35 films from more than 24 African countries, offering an exceptional panorama of the continent's film production. Screenings are accompanied by meetings with directors, round tables, concerts, and exhibitions, creating a true space for intercultural dialogue.

An Event Rooted in the City

Screenings take place in several venues in Besançon, notably the Kursaal and other cinemas in the city. The festival is part of a cultural outreach and North-South dialogue promotion initiative, helping to introduce the richness and diversity of African cinema to the French public.

With its 24th edition in 2024 and its 25th in 2025, Lumières d'Afrique asserts itself as one of the most important African film festivals in Europe, an unmissable event for cinephiles and lovers of the African continent.