Festival Internacional de Cine de Caracas (FICCaracas)

Overview

The Festival Internacional de Cine de Caracas (FICCaracas) is a competitive film festival organized by the Government of the Capital District and the Mayor of Caracas, with support from Venezuela's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Communication. Founded in 2014, the festival focuses on cinema from CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) countries plus Puerto Rico. It is distinct from the Festival del Cine Venezolano de Merida, which is Venezuela's national cinema festival, and from the Habitar el Cine Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporaneo de Caracas, which is a separate non-competitive contemporary cinema festival organized by independent exhibitors.

The first edition took place September 12 to 21, 2014, screening 81 films from 13 countries selected from 483 submissions across 19 CELAC nations plus Puerto Rico. The festival used 10 screening venues across Caracas, including the Teatro Bolivar (specifically the Sala Manuela Saenz), Cine Aquiles Nazoa, Sala Antonieta Colon at Centro Cultural Parque Central, Cine Junin, Teatro Alameda, Teatro Simon Rodriguez, Teatro Catia, Sala Margot Benacerraf, and the Cinemateca Nacional at the Museo de Bellas Artes.

The second edition ran February 24 to March 1, 2016, under the subtitle "Cinematografias Emergentes de los Pueblos del Sur" (Emerging Cinematographies of the Peoples of the South). The competitive selection included 10 fiction features and 10 documentaries from Latin America and the Caribbean, with cash prizes ranging from $4,000 to $10,000.

FICCaracas has operated intermittently since 2014, with editions in 2014, 2016, and subsequent years. The festival's schedule has been affected by Venezuela's ongoing economic and political crisis. Filmmakers should verify the current operational status before submitting.

Submission Details

Eligibility

• Productions by filmmakers or producers from CELAC member states: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela
• Films must be completed within the eligibility window specified in each edition's call for entries
• Submissions are free, which is unusual for a competitive festival
• The festival evaluates submissions through the Distribuidora Nacional de Cine Amazonia Films

Competition Sections and Awards

FICCaracas presents competitive awards across five categories, with cash prizes:

• Best Fiction Feature - cash prize (2014 winner: Azu by Luis Alberto Lamata, Venezuela)
• Best Documentary Feature - cash prize (2014 winner: Sigo Siendo by Javier Corcuera, Peru)
• Best Animation - cash prize (2014 winner: Guida by Rosana Urbes, Brazil)
• Best Short Fiction - cash prize (2014 winner: Coz en el Pecho by Renan Rovida, Brazil)
• Best Short Documentary - cash prize (2014 winners: El Apagon by Florencia Poblete, Argentina, and Memoria de Rio by Roney Freitas, Brazil)
• Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature - (2014 winner: Azu by Luis Alberto Lamata, Venezuela)
• Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature - (2014 winner: El Misterio de las Lagunas, Fragmentos Andinos by Atahualpa Lichy, Venezuela)

The 2016 edition increased the number of competitive films to 10 fiction features and 10 documentaries, with cash prizes ranging from $4,000 to $10,000 for winners. The festival also includes sidebar programs such as "Libertadores," "Nuestramerica Libre," "Humor," "Caleidoscopio de Bolivar," "Clasicos venezolanos en 35mm," and special screenings.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Venezuelan Filmmakers

FICCaracas is a government-organized festival with direct ties to Venezuela's cultural ministries. Screening at the festival connects your film with the Distribuidora Nacional de Cine Amazonia Films, which handles national distribution of Venezuelan cinema. The free submission policy means there is no financial barrier to entry for CELAC productions.

The festival's cash prizes ($4,000 to $10,000 based on 2016 data) are significant in the context of Venezuelan independent filmmaking, where production budgets are often constrained by the country's economic crisis. However, filmmakers should verify whether prize amounts have been adjusted for inflation or currency changes in recent editions.

For International (CELAC) Filmmakers

FICCaracas is open to filmmakers from all CELAC countries and Puerto Rico. The competitive focus is on Latin American and Caribbean cinema, not exclusively Venezuelan work. The 2014 edition received 483 submissions from 19 countries, with Venezuela contributing 13 films, more than any other single country.

For non-CELAC filmmakers (US, Europe, Asia), FICCaracas is not accessible through the standard submission process. The festival's geographic scope is limited to Latin America and the Caribbean by design.

Political Context and Verification

FICCaracas is organized by Venezuelan government institutions, including the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Communication. Filmmakers should be aware that the festival operates within Venezuela's political framework, and programming decisions may reflect government cultural policy priorities. The festival's programming has included sections like "Libertadores" and "Nuestramerica Libre" that align with the government's political orientation.

Venezuela's economic crisis has affected cultural institutions. Filmmakers should verify the festival's current operational status, dates, and prize structure before submitting. The official website (ficcaracas.com) may not always reflect current information due to infrastructure limitations.

Distinction from Habitar el Cine

FICCaracas should not be confused with the Habitar el Cine Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporaneo de Caracas, a separate non-competitive festival organized by the independent exhibitor collective Habitar el Cine, led by director Richard Nieto. The 4th edition of Habitar el Cine took place May 19 to 24, 2025, screening 30+ films from 16 countries at venues including Centro de Arte Los Galpones, Fundacion Trasnocho Cultural, Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), Universidad Catolica Andres Bello (UCAB), Bolivar Films, and Centro Cultural de Arte Moderno. Habitar el Cine is non-competitive and focuses on auteur cinema and contemporary international filmmaking, while FICCaracas is a competitive government-organized festival focused on CELAC cinema.

Practical Considerations

Caracas has limited international flight connections. The Simon Bolivar International Airport (CCS) in Maiquetia is approximately 30 minutes from the city center, but road safety and transportation reliability should be planned in advance through festival contacts.

Venezuela's economic situation affects practical logistics significantly. Internet access can be unreliable. ATMs may have withdrawal limits or may not function. Filmmakers attending in person should carry sufficient USD cash (widely accepted in informal transactions) and arrange accommodation through festival contacts rather than online booking platforms, which may not reflect current availability or pricing.

The festival uses multiple venues across Caracas, from the historic Teatro Bolivar to university spaces and cultural centers. Filmmakers should confirm which venue their film will screen at before making travel arrangements.

Festival History

FICCaracas was founded in 2014 by the Government of the Capital District and the Mayor of Caracas, with support from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Communication. The first edition was organized to provide Caracas with an international film festival comparable to the city's existing theater and poetry festivals.

The festival's first coordinator, Andrea Gouverneur, described the inaugural edition as "a gift to Caracas," noting that 483 films from 19 CELAC countries plus Puerto Rico were submitted, with 81 films from 13 countries selected for screening. The festival opened with the Venezuelan film Azu, alma de princesa by Luis Alberto Lamata, which won both the Best Fiction Feature and Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature.

The second edition in 2016 expanded the competitive selection and introduced the subtitle "Cinematografias Emergentes de los Pueblos del Sur." The festival has continued intermittently since then, with its schedule and scale affected by Venezuela's economic conditions.

The festival is one of several film events in Caracas. The Habitar el Cine contemporary cinema festival (founded 2022) operates as a separate non-competitive event focused on auteur cinema. The Festival del Cine Venezolano de Merida (founded 2005) is the national cinema festival focused on Venezuelan productions. FICCaracas occupies the position of the government-backed international competitive festival for CELAC cinema in the Venezuelan capital.

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For Latin American film market analysis, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For Venezuela's national cinema festival, see Festival del Cine Venezolano de Merida. Visit the official website.