Overview
The Festival des 3 Continents is a competitive festival dedicated exclusively to cinema from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The 48th edition runs November 20 to 28, 2026, in Nantes, France. The festival presents feature-length fiction and documentary films by filmmakers from or originating from these three continents, including Indigenous American and Black American filmmakers. The festival's artistic director is Jerome Baron. The festival is organized by the association Les 3 Continents, a non-profit under French law, with support from the City of Nantes, the Loire-Atlantique Department, the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), and the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC).
Founded in 1979, the festival was the first in Europe to focus exclusively on cinemas from the Global South. The first edition awarded the Montgolfiere d'Or to Souleymane Cisse for Baara (Mali).
The festival runs for 8 days and screens approximately 10 films in its International Competition, all requiring at minimum a French premiere. The Official Selection is published on the festival's website in early November.
Submission Details
Submissions are made through the Festival des 3 Continents online registration form. The festival accepts open submissions for its Official Selection.
Submission fee: EUR 18
Deadline for the 48th edition (2026): July 17, 2026
Eligibility:
- Films directed by filmmakers who originate from or are nationals of a country in Africa, Latin America, or Asia. Indigenous American and Black American filmmakers are also eligible.
- Films must be at least 45 minutes in length
- Films must have been completed after November 1, 2025
- Films submitted for the International Competition must have at minimum a French premiere (no prior programming in festivals, commercial screening, TV, or VOD broadcasting in France)
- Films must be in the original language with English or French subtitles
- Both fiction and documentary films are accepted, regardless of subject, type, or form
- A screener link should be shared via the registration form.
Selected filmmakers will be personally contacted. The Official Selection is published in early November.
Key Sections
- International Competition - approximately 10 films from Africa, Asia, and Latin America competing for the Montgolfiere d'Or and Montgolfiere d'Argent. All films require at minimum a French premiere.
- Panoramas and Retrospectives - curated programs dedicated to specific regions, filmmakers, or thematic threads within Global South cinema
- Produire au Sud - international co-production workshop running during the festival (see Industry Programs below)
Industry Programs
Produire au Sud is the festival's international co-production workshop, created in 2000. The workshop is an 8-day training program for young producers and directors from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Near and Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. It runs during the festival in Nantes and has expanded internationally with satellite workshops in Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Salvador de Bahia, Beirut, and other cities.
The workshop includes:
- 3 days of master classes: introduction to international co-production, co-production contracts, funding research, international sales, case studies
- 1 day of pitch training and public presentation of projects
- 2 days of individual consultations on script, production, and international sales
Produire au Sud has operated for over 20 years and has built a network of alumni producers across the Global South. Many projects developed through the workshop have gone on to premiere at major international festivals.
What Filmmakers Should Know
The festival is the only European festival dedicated exclusively to cinemas from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Competition is among peers from these regions. For a Global South filmmaker, selection provides access to European audiences, French distributors, and critics.
The Montgolfiere d'Or is one of the most historically meaningful prizes for a Global South filmmaker in Europe. Past winners include Souleymane Cisse, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Abbas Kiarostami, Jia Zhangke, and Fruit Chan.
Major Awards
- Montgolfiere d'Or (Golden Balloon) - Best Film in the International Competition, funded by the Festival des 3 Continents and the City of Nantes
- Montgolfiere d'Argent (Silver Montgolfiere) - second prize, funded by the Loire-Atlantique Department and the festival
- Prix du Public - audience award
- Prix du Jury Jeune - young jury award
- Mention Speciale - special jury mention (can be awarded for specific achievements, e.g. performance)
2025 Montgolfiere d'Or: The World of Love by Yoon Ga-eun (South Korea, fiction)
2025 Montgolfiere d'Argent: Hair, Paper, Water... by Truong Minh Quy and Nicolas Graux
2025 Mention Speciale: Anika Bootz, lead actress in The Message by Ivan Fund
2025 Prix du Public: The Attachment by Mamadou Khouma Gueye
2025 Prix du Jury Jeune: Sucuarana by Clarissa Campolina and Sergio Borges
Past Winners
Recent Montgolfiere d'Or winners:
| Year | Edition | Montgolfiere d'Or | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 47th | The World of Love | Yoon Ga-eun | South Korea |
| 2024 | 46th | Hanami | Denise Fernandes | Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde |
| 2023 | 45th | The Shadowless Tower | Zhang Lu | China |
| 2022 | 44th | Glorious Ashes | Bui Thac Chuyen | Vietnam |
The 2025 winner The World of Love by Yoon Ga-eun was presented at Toronto's Platform section and selected at Warsaw before winning the Montgolfiere d'Or. The 2024 winner Hanami by Denise Fernandes premiered at Locarno, where it won the Best Emerging Director Award and the Roger Ebert Award. The 2023 winner The Shadowless Tower by Zhang Lu premiered at Berlinale 2023 in Competition. The 2022 winner Glorious Ashes by Bui Thac Chuyen premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2022. The 2025 festival drew 23,000 attendees.
Festival History
The festival was founded in 1979 by brothers Philippe and Alain Jalladeau, who named it after the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi in Italy. The first edition drew 7,000 attendees and awarded the first Montgolfiere d'Or to Souleymane Cisse for Baara (Mali).
Throughout the 1980s, the festival revealed cinemas that had escaped Western attention. In 1980, it introduced South Indian cinema and Brazilian Nelson Pereira dos Santos. In 1983 and 1984, Hou Hsiao-hsien won back-to-back Montgolfiere d'Or awards, helping launch the Taiwanese New Wave. In 1988, Abbas Kiarostami made his first appearance outside Iran at Nantes.
The Montgolfiere d'Argent was introduced in 1992. Between 2003 and 2006, a separate Montgolfiere d'Or was awarded for documentaries. Produire au Sud was launched in 2000 and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- The World of Love (Yoon Ga-eun, South Korea) - Toronto 2025 Platform, 3 Continents 2025 Montgolfiere d'Or. Also at Warsaw. Yoon won Best Director at the 2026 Baeksang Arts Awards.
- The Shadowless Tower (Zhang Lu, China) - Berlinale 2023 Competition, 3 Continents 2023 Montgolfiere d'Or. US release via Strand Releasing. Also at Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, NYFF.
- Hanami (Denise Fernandes, Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde) - Locarno 2024 (Best Emerging Director, Roger Ebert Award), 3 Continents 2024 Montgolfiere d'Or. Theatrical releases in Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal. France: Sudu Connection.
- The Attachment (Liti Liti) (Mamadou Khouma Gueye, Senegal/Belgium/France) - Visions du Réel 2025 world premiere, then 3 Continents 2025 Prix du Public. A documentary about neighborhood demolition in Dakar.
- Hou Hsiao-hsien won back-to-back Montgolfiere d'Or (1983, 1984). Jia Zhangke won twice (1998, 2000).
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
Films must be 45+ minutes, directed by filmmakers from Africa, Latin America, or Asia (Indigenous American and Black American filmmakers eligible). International Competition films require a French premiere.
The submission fee is EUR 18, deadline July 17, 2026. Both fiction and documentary films are accepted.
Produire au Sud is a separate application for emerging producers seeking co-production training rather than film competition.
Industry Reputation Notes
Compared to the Fribourg International Film Festival (Switzerland), which also programs Global South cinema, 3 Continents has a longer history (1979 vs. 1980) and a more focused competitive structure.
The Montgolfiere d'Or is one of the most historically meaningful prizes for Global South filmmakers. Four filmmakers have won it twice: Hou Hsiao-hsien, Amir Naderi, Abolfazl Jalili, and Jia Zhangke.
The festival does not operate a film market. Its industry value is in Produire au Sud and critical attention from French press and distributors. Selected films also screen in Saint-Nazaire and Paris at Cinema l'Arlequin.
Watch
See Also
To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For festival strategy guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. For international co-production and film markets, see International Film Markets. For distribution deals that originate at festivals, see Distribution Deals Explained.
