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TRAINING WORKSHOP (2)

Train to Trainers Workshop ..The Next Generation: Watch, Dialogue, Make a Film

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Call for Applications – Trainer Training Workshop within the 12th Algiers International Film Festival

As part of the 12th Algiers International Film Festival (December 4–10, 2025), and under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Arts, the Festival announces a call for applications for a trainer training workshop titled “The Next Generation: Watch, Dialogue, Make a Film”, organized in partnership with Film Lab Palestine.

This initiative is part of the “Window on Palestine” program, the result of a cultural and artistic cooperation agreement between the two institutions. It represents a new milestone in strengthening artistic and educational ties between Algeria and Palestine.

 

A workshop designed for trainers

Unlike a workshop aimed at children, this program is specifically designed for trainers, cultural mediators, educators, and filmmakers working with or for young audiences.

Its goal is to strengthen the pedagogical and creative capacities of participants so they can, in turn, guide children and teenagers in discovering cinema as a tool for expression, reflection, and creativity.

According to Film Lab Palestine, this training introduces participants to methods adapted to young audiences:

 

  • How to open dialogue with children and youth;
  • How to use accessible tools such as iPads or mobile phones;
  • How to transfer the acquired skills into future workshops for children.

 

Each module of the program is built as an exercise in transmission: trainers experience the activities they will later propose to young learners.
The curriculum content adapts to participants’ levels of cinematic and technical knowledge, with a special focus on children’s cinema and visual literacy.

 

 

 

 

Eligibility Requirement:

 

  1. The participant must be 20 years of age or older.
  2. Submit a motivation letter and evidence or certificates of activity demonstrating educational or artistic engagement with young audience.
  3. They must work or volunteer at an institution working directly or indirectly for children
  4. The institution must have a screen or a space suitable for organizing children’s film screenings.
  5. Commit to attending the entire workshop, both theoretical and practical days.
  6. Carry out a practical activity after the end of the workshop (a children’s film screening or a workshop intended for them).
  7. Have the desire to learn new skills and to participate creatively with children.

 

About “The Next Generation” program

 

Developed by Film Lab Palestine (founded in 2014 in Ramallah), “The Next Generation / الجيل القادم” targets children and youth aged 6 to 15 in Palestine.
It seeks to foster a love for cinema, develop visual culture, and inspire artistic curiosity.
Through screenings and post-viewing discussions, it provides a safe and inspiring space where young people learn to listen, debate, and create.

Launching this trainer training workshop in Algiers marks the first step toward implementing The Next Generation program in Algeria, in collaboration with the Algiers International Film Festival.

 

Practical Information

Dates: December 5–9, 2025 — Algiers
Venue: Ciné Lab – Algiers International Film Festival
Profile: Professionals in culture, education, or cinema working with children and teenagers
Applications: cinelab@ficinema.dz
Deadline: November 20th, 2025 at 23h59 Algier’s time

 

 

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The Algiers International Film Festival (AIFF) Joins the Global Initiative « Palestine Cinema Days Around the World »

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Date and Time: November 2nd at 7:00 PM

Multi-City Screening Locations:

  • Cinémathèque of Algiers
  • Cinémathèques of Béjaïa, Constantine, and Sidi Bel Abbès
  • Salle Mohamed Touri, Blida
  • Salle M’zi, Laghouat

Official Announcement

The Ministry of Culture and Arts, the Algiers International Film Festival (AIFF), and the Algerian Cinematographic Center (CAC) officially announce their adherence to the global initiative « Palestine Cinema Days Around the World », championed by FilmLab Palestine.

This commitment is realized through the essential participation of several national cultural structures, including the M’zi cinema hall in the Municipality of Laghouat and the Mohamed Touri Hall of the Blida Culture Directorate.

An Unavoidable Voice for Palestine

Launched in 2023, this international cultural mobilization amplifies the voice of the Palestinian people through cinema, despite the siege and destruction imposed on Gaza.

The initiative was born from the cancellation of the 2023 Palestine Cinema Days Festival in Ramallah (West Bank), a direct consequence of the war triggered against Gaza after October 7, 2023. It has since rapidly expanded to dozens of countries, asserting that Palestinian narratives, images, and voices must imperatively be seen and heard globally.

Special Screening in Algiers: A Symbolic Date

As part of its 12th edition, the AIFF is organizing a special screening on November 2nd at the Algerian Cinémathèque.

This date is chosen in reference to the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, serving to underscore the historical origin of the Palestinian tragedy. Taking place the day after the celebration of November 1st (the start of the National Liberation War), this initiative pays a vibrant tribute to anti-colonial resistance and reaffirms the historical and unwavering commitment of the Algerian Nation to the Palestinian cause.

Selected films for Algeria Screening

Global Film Selection

A major international selection of works, celebrating the richness and resilience of Palestinian cinema (curated by FilmLab Palestine), will be presented:

  • Lamma Chouftak (When I Saw You) – Anne-Marie Jacir (2012)
  • Mediterranean Fever (La Fiancée du désert) – Maha Haj (2022)
  • A Gaza Weekend – Basil Khalil (2022)
  • The Dupes (Al-Makhdou’un / Le Dupé) – Tewfik Saleh (1972)
  • Divine Intervention (Yadon Ilaheyya / Intervention divine) – Elia Suleiman (2002)
  • Jenin, Jenin – Mohammad Bakri (2002)
  • Bye Bye Tiberias – Lina Soualem (2023)

(Complete runtimes and technical details are available in the official press kit.)

A Rapidly Expanding Global Movement

Year

Participating Countries

Cities

Screenings

2023

41

86

171

2024

57

238

396

By joining this global network of cinematic solidarity, the AIFF reaffirms its role as a carrier of the Algerian voice and its consistent support for the Palestinian cause. The Festival stands alongside festivals, cinemas, and institutions worldwide, united by the commitment to defend and champion Palestine by and through cinema.

Resources and Contacts

  • FilmLab Palestine: [website / social media]
  • Press Kit:
    • AIFF Presentation
    • FilmLab Palestine Presentation
    • Screening Program (posters, synopsis, technical sheets, web links)
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AIFF SOUK – AIFF International Film Festival Market

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In 2025, the Algiers International Film Festival (AIFF) launches the first edition of the AIFF Film Market (AIFF SOUK), which will take place from December 5 to 9, 2025, at the Riadh El Feth Office – Level 102.
The Market constitutes a genuine platform for meetings between professionals in the cinema and audiovisual sectors, aiming to encourage sales, purchases, co-productions, and the distribution of film and audiovisual works.
This first edition focuses on the national market, with prospects for expansion in the coming years.
Internal Regulations of AIFF SOUK
Article 1 – The Exhibition
– The AIFF SOUK will be held from December 5 to 9, 2025, at the Riadh El Feth Office – Level 102, within the framework of the 12th edition of the Festival.
– The AIFF SOUK aims to encourage professional meetings around sales, purchases,production, co-production, and the distribution of film and audiovisual works.
Article 2 – Participants
The Market is open to accredited professionals:
– Producers
– Holders of film and audiovisual projects
– Distributors and international sales agents
– Post-production structures
– Streaming platforms and television channels
– Representatives of institutions and funding bodies
Article 3 – Accreditation
To participate, each professional must:
– Complete the registration form available on the dedicated page: ficinema.dz/le marche and send it by email no later than October 23, 2025 (23:59 – Algiers time).
– Receive official confirmation from the Festival on October 30, 2025.
– Participation and accreditation for this first edition are free of charge.
Calendar:
– Opening of registrations: October 3, 2025
– Closing of registrations: October 23, 2025

– Confirmation of accreditations: October 30, 2025
Article 4 – Accepted Films and Projects
Submitted projects must:
– Be registered through the dedicated form before October 23, 2025 (23:59 – Algiers time).
– Provide project presentation, technical sheet, viewing link, or high-quality digital file.
– Respect copyright and be free of any legal obligations.
– The Artistic Directory and a designated committee, in line with the Festival’s editorial
guidelines, will carry out the final selection.
Article 5 – Screenings and Visibility
– Screenings are reserved exclusively for accredited professionals.
– Selected films and projects will be included in the official Festival catalogue.
– Organizers reserve the right to use the submitted information for the promotion of the Festival and the Market.
– Any special screening request must be submitted in advance to the artistic
management.
Article 6 – Booths and Professional Spaces
– Companies wishing to obtain a booth must submit their request during registration.
– Organizers provide an equipped space (table, signage, internet connection).
– Additional costs (decoration, special equipment, etc.) are borne by the exhibitor.
Article 7 – Responsibilities
– Each participant is responsible for his or her equipment and the confidentiality of his or her exchanges.
– Organizers are not liable for any loss, theft, or damage.

Article 8 – Conduct and Ethics
– Participants are required to maintain proper professional behavior.
– Any serious misconduct may lead to immediate exclusion without the right to appeal.
Article 9 – Final Provisions
– Participation in the Market implies full acceptance of these regulations.
– The organizers reserve the right to modify the regulations when necessary.
– Accredited participants will be notified of any updates.

Contacts:
Festival Market Coordination: aiffsouk@ficinema.dz
General inquiries: contact@ficinema.dz
Website: www.ficinema.dz

SUBSRIPTION FORM
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Cuba, Guest of Honour of the 12ᵗʰ Algiers International Film Festival (AIFF)

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The Algiers International Film Festival (AIFF) from 4th to 10th December 2025 will welcome the Republic of Cuba as the Guest of Honour of its 12ᵗʰ edition.


This invitation reflects the profound historical and cultural ties between Algeria and Cuba: sixty-two years after Commander Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s first visit to Algiers, and sixty years after his last, this choice symbolizes a shared memory of struggles and fraternity.

By highlighting Cuban cinema, AIFF seeks to immerse audiences in a singular universe shaped by challenges and creativity. Cuban cinema stands out for its experience in co-production and its resilience in the face of constraints, particularly its geographical and symbolic proximity to Hollywood and its box office. It embodies an aesthetic of resistance: a cinema that questions, endures, and inspires.

In collaboration with the Cuban Institute of Arts and Cinema Industry (ICIAC), AIFF invites filmmakers and audiences to discover Cuban films that narrate the memory and present of a people, while engaging in dialogue with the stories of the Global South. This is about exploring the Cuban experience, enriching the collective imagination, and reinforcing the role of cinema as a space for solidarity and transformation.

True to its vocation, AIFF reaffirms its commitment to promoting engaged cinemas, people’s stories, and perspectives capable of challenging dominant narratives.

With Cuba as Guest of Honour, the 2025 edition promises to be a crossroads of discovery, reflection, and exchange between Algiers, Havana, and the rest of the world.

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Over 3,300 films submitted Closing of the Call for Films – 12th Algiers International Film Festival

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Over 3,300 films submitted
Closing of the Call for Films – 12th Algiers International Film Festival The Algiers International Film Festival (AIFF), under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Arts, closed its call for films on September 10, 2025, with more than 3,300 submissions from 117 countries via the FilmFreeway platform.
– 352 feature films
– 2,724 short films
– 352 documentaries
The strong interest shown by international filmmakers in this 12th edition, scheduled for December 4–10, 2025, in Algiers, confirms the growing appeal of the Algiers International Film Festival. We warmly thank all the filmmakers who submitted their works via FilmFreeway and the festival’s official website. The Selection Committee will announce the films chosen for Competition and Out of Competition on October 10, 2025. The 12th edition will offer a bold and committed program around major themes: collective memory, shifting identities, struggles, and imaginations of the Global South, across the following sections:
– Official Competition (shorts, features, and documentaries)
– Cuban cinema in the spotlight
– Palestinian cinema
– International Panorama
– Algeria / Africa Focus
– Cine-LAB :master classes, panels, cinema lessons.
– Film, Knowledge & Science
Competing films will vie for the Grand Prize, Jury Prize, Audience Award, and Technical Award.
See you in December in Algiers to discover this new edition!

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Message from the Festival Commissioner

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Cinema is much more than an art form.

It is a living language, born of vision and movement, created to transcend time and borders, to transform reality into story, to connect people through light and emotion.

It is a shared memory, a tool for transmission, reconciliation, and collective imagination.

At a time when narratives are fragmenting, and the world echoes with tensions and inequalities, the Algiers International Film Festival turns the spotlight back on what unites us: culture, speech, dignity, memory, and shared dreams.

Algiers, a Land of Cinema

From December 4 to 10, 2025, Algiers will become a vast screen open to the world.

A city gathering around images and ideas, nurturing encounter, dialogue, and living memory.

A city where cinema becomes a common language, a sensory experience, a social bond, a space of communion.

A Festival Inhabited by Stories, Identities, and Resistance

The 12ᵗʰ edition of the Festival will revolve around moving narratives, expressions of identity, and the cinemas of memory and life.

A program designed as a constellation of stories, perspectives, and forms.

Each film sheds light on a part of the world.

The Festival seeks to connect.

To build bridges between geographies and generations.

To give voice, awaken consciousness, and rekindle memory.

Through the big screen, it invites us to feel, reflect, engage, and explore.

To dream together.

Thank you to the filmmakers for carrying the light of cinema.

Thank you to the audience for welcoming this universe with curiosity, passion, and kindness.

Enjoy the screening. Keep thinking. Stay free through cinema.

And may the world continue to express itself, to dream, and to understand itself through the magic of the seventh art.

Hatim Mehdi Benaïssa
Commissioner, Algiers International Film Festival

Hello… and long live cinema!

Hello… and long live cinema!

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My role at the helm of this festival’s artistic direction is far from a mere logistical task or institutional duty. It is, above all, a clear and heartfelt return to the source of my first passion — to that deep conviction that cinema is not just a visual art, but a horizon for thought, a refuge for dreams, a language powerful enough to build bridges between people, across all distances and borders.

From Algiers to Nouakchott, through a journey shaped by academic and professional experiences in teaching, journalism, cultural policy, criticism, programming, and management, my path has intersected with cinema for over thirty years. I have embraced it as a subject of research, a space for critique, a tool for education and cultural advocacy, a platform for social transformation. And I’ve never stopped asking the fundamental question: how do we restore cinema to its rightful place as a vital force in building critical consciousness and a vibrant society?

From this starting point, we strive to ensure that the Algiers International Film Festival remains true to its original soul — deeply rooted in its city and its context, carrying both beauty and meaning. We envision it as a living space that celebrates stories and visions, a gathering place for filmmakers, critics, audiences, and dreamers — from Algeria and around the world — in a rhythm of questioning, joy, and discovery.

We invite you, from December 4 to 10, 2025, to join us for this twelfth edition: a living encounter, a shared journey, a celebration of what cinema offers at its highest — its power to connect people, places, and imaginations through a thread of love… in a renewed Algeria, wide open to the future.

Nabila Rezaïg
Artistic Director
Algiers International Film Festival

 

Biography – Nabila Rezaïg, artistic director of the festival

Biography Nabila Rezaïg, Artistic Director

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Nabila Rezaïg is a powerful and committed voice in Algerian cinema and culture. For over two decades, she has dedicated her pen, her insight, and her energy to cultural journalism, artistic management, and public service. A graduate in History from the University of Algiers (1994), she deepened her cultural engagement by earning a Master’s degree in Cultural Management from the University of Paris (2011), strengthening a career already rooted in hands-on experience.

She began as a history and geography teacher before stepping into the world of print media. Through her cultural columns in El Bilad, she quickly established herself as a singular voice with a sharp, insightful, and heartfelt perspective. Her passion for cinema soon became central, and her work appeared in leading Arab platforms such as Elaph, Sharit, and Cinematograph, where she championed a bold and humanistic vision of the seventh art.

Her commitment naturally extended to the festival world. She contributed to the organization of the Taghit Short Film Festival, and then joined the Oran Arab Film Festival, where she served as Artistic Director from 2010 to 2011. From 2012 to 2016, she represented Algeria at the country’s pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival and took part in international forums on the future of Arab cinema (Carthage, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, among others).

Her growing expertise led her to hold key roles within Algeria’s major cultural institutions. She served as communications officer at the National Office of Culture and Information, journalist for the national television’s online platform, and Head of the Cinema Department at the Algerian Agency for Cultural Outreach. In 2016, she joined the Ministry of Culture as Deputy Director for Artistic Creation Support, then acted as Central Director for Arts Development (2019–2021). In 2021, she was appointed Director of the Algerian Center for Cinema Development, entrusted with full budgetary authority.

Between 2019 and 2021, she also served as Vice-President of the National Council for Arts and Letters. Recognized for her expertise, she was selected by UNESCO as Algeria’s national expert for the drafting of the country’s first four-year report on the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Deeply rooted in the Arab and international film scene, she is regularly invited to serve on juries for prestigious festivals, including those in Jerusalem, Nouakchott, Ismailia, Malmö, and Lucania. Today, she heads the North Africa and Europe office of Cinematograph, a platform dedicated to film criticism and analysis. Through her ongoing editorial work, she continues to explore cinema not only as an art form but as a vehicle for awareness, a mirror of society, and a living archive of human history.

 

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Biography of Festival Commissioner

Biography Mehdi Hatim Benaïssa, Festival Commissioner

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Mehdi Benaïssa is a film producer and programmer with a rich international background. A graduate of La FEMIS in Paris (Production & Promotion, Class 9), he began his career in the United States with Fox Searchlight Studio before joining Arte France in Paris.

In 2011, he founded Akalim Production in Algiers and produced several notable cultural and cinematic projects, including the landmark documentary Algeria from Above directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Yazid Tizi, as well as Méditerranée, and the major 50th anniversary of Algeria’s independence exhibition, which drew over 80,000 visitors.

From 2016 to 2017, he served as director of the Algerian TV channel KBC. He currently works as a media and content advisor to the Algerian Ministries of Culture and Ministry of Communication, contributing to the development of national audio-visual policies.

In 2024, Mehdi Benaïssa was appointed as the Commissioner of the Algiers International Film Festival formerly the Algiers International Cinema Festival (FICA), There, he unfolds a bold and cinephile vision: to transform the festival into an open agora for Southern narratives — a space of dialogue between memory, identity, and creation, attentive to the upheavals of the contemporary world.

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Algiers International Film Festival – 12th Edition

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December 4–10, 2025 – Algiers

Founded in 2002, the Algiers International Film Festival (AIFF) has become, over its 11 editions, an essential gathering for lovers of the seventh art. With passion and determination, it has built lasting bridges between Algerian and international filmmakers, offering audiences a unique journey through cinematic works from all over the world.


Each screening, encounter, and debate has contributed to making the Algiers International Film Festival a cultural bridge between peoples, a space for dialogue, and a vibrant tribute to Algeria, its cinema, and world cinema. A place where film becomes a tool of memory, resistance, and shared imagination.

A multifaceted mission:

  1. Showcase Algerian talent by offering it an international platform;
  2. Encourage creation through residencies, masterclasses, and professional networking;
  3. Promote intercultural exchange by welcoming films and filmmakers from across the globe;
  4. Educate and engage audiences, especially youth and marginalized communities;
  5. Reward artistic innovation through a diverse range of awards and distinctions.

 

 

2025: A new edition, a renewed energy

The 12th edition embraces a renewed vision: to transform Algiers into a living film agora — a vast, open-air Super Ciné-Club — curious and accessible, where global narratives converge, resonate, and bring us together.

AIFF Program 2025:

In downtown Algiers, the Festival will unveil an eclectic program. The official competition will be structured into several categories: feature-length fiction, short films, and documentaries. Two new and unprecedented sections will debut this year: the Technical Competition and the non-competitive category “Knowledge & Science Films”, enriching this constellation of selected works and offering a broad, curious, and daring panorama of contemporary cinema.

Conceived as a space for knowledge-sharing and professional development, the Festival will also host Master classes, screenwriting residencies, critical panels, and a vibrant film market — Le Souk AIFF. 

This marketplace will serve as a dynamic crossroads for professionals, emerging talents, and cinema lovers alike — a highlight of the Festival that fosters dialogue, learning, and new creative opportunities.

 Highlights:

  • Guest of Honour: To be announced
  • Focus on Palestine
  • Spotlight on Algerian and African cinema, past and present

A committed team for a vibrant city with cinema

A new artistic and organizational team— passionate, rigorous, and deeply engaged with the city and its audience, leads this edition.
Under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Arts, and in close collaboration with cultural institutions, the Municipality of Algiers, the Wilaya, economic partners, and civil society, AIFF 2025 celebrates cinema as a space for memory, and community.

See you from December 4 to 10, 2025 in Algiers
Call for films opens from July 10 to September 10, 2025
Call for Souk Projects opens from July 20 to August 20, 2025

Cinema connects us. Algiers is waiting for you.

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