Overview
The Cape Town International Film Market and Festival (CTIFMF) is a Pan-African film industry platform that screens upwards of 120 films across a 10-day event at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The festival combines competitive screenings with a market where content buyers meet sellers, film funders meet projects, and service providers connect with industry stakeholders. For African filmmakers, CTIFMF offers the most prominent domestic competitive platform alongside direct exposure to international buyers attending the market.
The festival began in 2007 as the Cape Winelands Film Festival (CWFF) and rebranded to CTIFMF in 2017 when it added the market component. The 2018 edition screened 160-plus features, documentaries, and shorts from 50 countries, including 10 films that were official Oscar submissions from their respective countries. The opening night film that year was Sew the Winter to My Skin, South Africa's Oscar entry, which won Best South African Feature at the festival.
The festival has faced severe operational and financial challenges since 2018. In June 2019, South African media reported that CTIFMF owed service providers millions of rand, with multiple creditors coming forward publicly. A 2019 edition was planned but its execution remained uncertain amid the debt disputes. No confirmed editions have taken place since 2019, and the festival's public profile has diminished significantly. As of August 2026, filmmakers should treat CTIFMF as inactive and verify any submission calls directly with the festival before paying fees.
Key Sections
- Feature Film Competition - narrative features competing for the Grand Prix and Best South African Film awards
- Documentary Competition - feature and mid-length documentaries
- Short Film Competition - short films across all genres
- African Market - co-production and content market connecting African producers with international buyers, distributors, and broadcasters
- Industry Program - master classes, workshops, panel discussions, and deal-making engagements
- Student Films - films by South African film school students, with subsidized attendance for students from the Cape Flats and surrounding areas
- Panorama - non-competitive screenings of older films and international selections
Submission Details
CTIFMF accepts submissions via FilmFreeway and FilmFestivalLife. Submissions are open to features, documentaries, animation, and short films from filmmakers worldwide, with particular encouragement for African and South African content.
Eligibility requirements:
- Films completed within 18 months prior to the call for entries are eligible for competition
- Films completed earlier may be eligible for the Panorama (non-competition) section
- Secure online screeners are required; DVD submissions are not accepted
Historical submission deadlines (2018 edition):
- Early deadline: July 10
- Regular deadline: July 31
- Final deadline: August (varies by year)
Submission fees have historically been modest compared to Northern Hemisphere A-list festivals, reflecting the festival's mission to remain accessible to African filmmakers. Verify current fees on FilmFreeway before submitting.
Festival History
CTIFMF originated in 2007 as the Cape Winelands Film Festival (CWFF), screening films at venues across Cape Town and the surrounding wine region. The festival rebranded in 2017 to its current name and added the market component, reflecting a strategic shift from a purely cultural event to a combined festival and industry platform.
The 2017 edition (the 10th anniversary) marked the first year with the market, held October 12 to 21. The 2018 edition ran October 9 to 19 at the V&A Waterfront and Artscape Theatre, screening 160-plus films from 50 countries. The opening night drew over 1,300 guests to a red carpet event at the Artscape Theatre piazza.
The festival is a collaborative effort by the City of Cape Town, WESGRO (the Western Cape trade and investment agency), and the festival board. It has partnered with the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) as part of the EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) program, selecting 5 African and 5 European producers for a year-long development program with workshops presented at CTIFMF and CineMart.
After 2018, the festival accumulated significant debt. In June 2019, News24/City Press reported that CTIFMF owed service providers millions of rand, with some creditors pursuing liquidation proceedings. A 2019 edition was announced but its actual execution remains unclear. No confirmed editions have taken place since 2019. Filmmakers should treat the festival as inactive.
Past Winners
2018 CTIFMF Award Winners
| Award | Film | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix | Dogman | Matteo Garrone | Also won Best Actor and Best Director; Italy's Oscar submission |
| Best South African Feature | Sew the Winter to My Skin | Jahmil X.T. Qubeka | Opening night film; South Africa's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film; also screened at TIFF 2018 |
| Best Documentary | - | - | - |
| Best Short Film | - | - | - |
| Audience Award | - | - | - |
| Works in Progress Award | - | - | 50,000 Rand from Hollard Film Guarantors plus sound design and final mix services |
The 2018 edition screened 160+ features, documentaries, and shorts from 50 countries, including 10 films that were official Oscar submissions from their respective countries. The opening night drew over 1,300 guests to a red carpet event at the Artscape Theatre piazza.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- *Sew the Winter to My Skin* (dir. Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, 2018). CTIFMF 2018 opening night film and Best South African Feature winner. Selected for Cannes L'Atelier program in 2017. Awarded the Berlinale World Cinema Fund in 2017. World premiered at TIFF 2018. Submitted as South Africa's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Oscars. The film reimagines the hunt for John Kepe, an outlaw in 1950s South Africa who robbed from white colonist farmers and gave to the impoverished Indigenous poor.
- *Dogman* (dir. Matteo Garrone, 2018). CTIFMF 2018 Grand Prix winner. Also won Best Actor and Best Director at the festival. Premiered at Cannes 2018 (Main Competition). Italy's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. Distributed by Magnolia Pictures in the US.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
CTIFMF accepts submissions via FilmFreeway and FilmFestivalLife. Submissions are open to features, documentaries, animation, and short films from filmmakers worldwide, with particular encouragement for African and South African content.
Films completed within 18 months prior to the call for entries are eligible for competition. Films completed earlier may be eligible for the Panorama (non-competition) section. Secure online screeners are required; DVD submissions are not accepted.
Submission fees have historically been modest compared to Northern Hemisphere A-list festivals, reflecting the festival's mission to remain accessible to African filmmakers. Verify current fees on FilmFreeway before submitting.
Important: CTIFMF is effectively inactive as of August 2026. No confirmed editions have taken place since 2019. The festival accumulated significant debt to service providers, as reported by South African media in June 2019. Filmmakers should not submit or pay fees without direct confirmation from festival organizers.
Industry Reputation Notes
CTIFMF's primary value proposition is its market component, which connects African producers with international buyers, distributors, and broadcasters. For African filmmakers, the festival offers the most prominent domestic competitive platform alongside direct exposure to international buyers attending the market.
The festival partnered with IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam) as part of the EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) program, selecting 5 African and 5 European producers for a year-long development program with workshops presented at CTIFMF and CineMart. This partnership gave the festival international industry credibility.
Compared to other African festivals, CTIFMF positioned itself as the most market-facing. FESPACO (Burkina Faso) is larger and older but more focused on pan-African cultural celebration than market deals. Durban International Film Festival (South Africa) has a market component but is smaller in scope. CTIFMF aimed to be the primary gateway for international buyers seeking African content.
However, the festival's financial collapse after 2018 has effectively ended its industry standing. No confirmed editions have taken place since 2019. Filmmakers should redirect to Durban International Film Festival (South Africa) or FESPACO (Burkina Faso) for active African festival and market platforms.
Awards / Accreditation
CTIFMF is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival. The festival is not FIAPF-accredited.
The festival's awards include:
- Grand Prix (best film in the international competition)
- Best South African Feature Film
- Best Documentary
- Best Short Film
- Audience Award
- Best Actor
- Best Director
- Works in Progress Award (50,000 Rand from Hollard Film Guarantors, plus sound design and final mix services)
- Screenwriters Guild Pitch Competition (for projects in development)
What Filmmakers Should Know
CTIFMF is effectively inactive as of August 2026. No confirmed editions have taken place since 2019, and the festival accumulated significant debt to service providers. Filmmakers should not submit or pay fees without direct confirmation from festival organizers that an edition is proceeding.
Historically, the festival's market component was its primary value proposition for African filmmakers. International buyers attending the market sought African and South African content specifically, giving African filmmakers targeted attention difficult to secure at European or North American festivals.
South Africa has co-production treaties with Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. The South African Film and Television Production Incentive provides a rebate of up to 20% of qualifying South African production expenditure. The key trade-off: CTIFMF offered market access but no longer operates. Filmmakers should redirect to Durban International Film Festival or FESPACO for active African festival platforms.
Watch
See Also
Use the Festival ROI Calculator to model the total cost of submitting to and attending CTIFMF, including submission fees, travel to Cape Town, and accommodation. Use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator to assess your likelihood of selection based on film type, runtime, and premiere status. For broader festival strategy, read Film Festival Strategy. For understanding African co-production structures, see International Film Markets.
