At the end of the 1970s, cinema all over the world reached a new stage of development. Filmmakers started to pay much less attention to political issues, having remembered that cinema is first and foremost a form of art rather than a political platform. Thus, a lot of new film festivals were launched in Europe during that period.
The Three Continents Festival was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau who wanted to introduce the general public to high-quality films from different countries that would never be screened in French cinemas and to remind people that the language of cinema is universal, regardless of where movies are filmed.
The program of the festival features many films made in third-world countries which are never treated as something second-quality and inferior. The Three Continents Festival treats all filmmakers equally, whether they are from Argentina, Mongolia, or Burkina Faso. Their talent is all that matters.
One of the main goals of the Three Continents Festival is to support filmmakers from Latin America, Africa and Asia. That’s why the festival closely collaborates with the Produire au Sud workshop. The workshop was launched in 2000 in order to create a network of young film producers and to support independent cinema on three continents.
The Three Continents Festival is a competitive film festival. Its main prize is the Golden Montgolfière Award which is given to the best film in the international competition. The second best film receives a Silver Montgolfière Award. The jury also gives special awards to the best actor and the best actress. The best director receives the Award of the City of Nantes.
The best film is chosen by the international jury from the official selection which includes ten new feature and documentary films. Ten more films are shown during special screenings. Besides, the program of the festival also features retrospectives and themed screenings as well as seminars, conferences and other events aimed at industry professionals.
Photo: 3continents.com
