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COLOMBIA · FILM

The Cartagena Film Festival runs from Tuesday 6 to Sunday 11 April 2027 in Cartagena de Indias, a walled Caribbean port city in northern Colombia. It is the 66th edition of FICCI, which its organiser calls the oldest film festival in Latin America.

For US readers, the dates leave about five months to plan flights and hotels. Filmmakers have a separate clock, because entries close on Sunday 29 November 2026.

In Plain English: What FICCI Is

FICCI is the short name of the Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias, which we call the Cartagena Film Festival. The organiser’s website says it was founded in 1960 and calls it the oldest film festival in Latin America.

The Cartagena Film Festival runs competitions for Colombian and Ibero-American work. Ibero-American means films from Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, plus Spain and Portugal.

Cartagena de Indias is a port city on the Caribbean coast with a walled colonial old town. Most visitors simply call it Cartagena, and so do we.

What Happens in April 2027

The organiser’s website lists the 66th edition for Tuesday 6 to Sunday 11 April 2027. The programme is not announced yet, and the call for entries says results will be presented at a press conference in March 2027.

The previous edition of the Cartagena Film Festival gives a sense of scale, with the 65th FICCI running from 14 to 19 April 2026. The festival’s press release counts more than 180 films from 57 countries and more than 250 screenings.

The 2026 edition also had an industry side, with Brazil as guest of honour at its industry programme. It added Campus FICCI, a new home for training, and NIDO, which hosted industry talks.

Entering a Film: Deadlines and Fees

Filmmakers can enter the Cartagena Film Festival through Festhome, an online festival-submission platform, until Sunday 29 November 2026 at 23:59 Colombian time. The organiser’s rules say submissions opened on Tuesday 1 September 2026.

An early-bird rate ends on Saturday 31 October 2026, at US$30 for a short and US$60 for a feature. The final fee is US$35 for a short and US$70 for a feature.

A work-in-progress feature, meaning a film still in advanced editing, costs US$10 early or US$15 at the final deadline. University shorts, the Tierra Adentro and De Indias sections, and work-in-progress shorts carry no festival fee, though the platform charges a sending fee.

Films must be features of more than 70 minutes or shorts of 1 to 69 minutes. They must be made or premiered worldwide in 2026 or 2027, and they must not have been shown publicly in Colombia before.

Ten Sections and Up to US$100,000 in Prizes

The 2027 call for the Cartagena Film Festival lists ten official sections. They include competitions for Colombia and for Ibero-America, plus Cine en los Barrios, Cines Afros, Cines Indígenas and a section called De Indias.

Cines Afros and Cines Indígenas, which focus on Afro-descendant and Indigenous perspectives, accept work from any country. De Indias is for films linked to Cartagena or the surrounding department of Bolívar.

The organiser says prizes and benefits add up to as much as US$100,000 across the competitions, sections and work-in-progress programme. It has not yet published the amount for each award, and further cash details are due at the March 2027 press conference.

Where Screenings Happen

The 2027 venues are not yet published. In 2026 the opening film was shown at the Patio de Banderas, an open space at the Centro de Convenciones, with free entry until capacity.

Other 2026 locations included the Teatro Adolfo Mejía, Cine Colombia theatres, the Palacio de la Proclamación and Casa Bolívar. The Cine en los Barrios programme took screenings to plazas, streets and neighbourhoods across the city.

The organiser’s office sits at the Baluarte de San Francisco Javier in the historic centre. Treat that as a contact point, not as a confirmed screening site.

Tickets and Access

The Cartagena Film Festival’s website describes the event as free, but it gives no 2027 ticketing or accreditation rules. Accreditation is a pass that gives industry guests and press priority access.

Free entry in 2026 was first come, first served, so popular screenings may fill early. Check the festival’s own site before you pay anyone, and avoid offers from strangers.

Tips for US Visitors

The US State Department says US citizens need no visa for stays of 90 days or less. The passport must be valid for the whole stay, and Migración Colombia, the national immigration agency, handles entry details.

The department’s advisory says to reconsider travel to Colombia because of crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping. Its Level 4 (Do Not Travel) areas are Arauca, Cauca excluding Popayán, Norte de Santander and the Venezuela border, which leaves out Cartagena.

The department warns that US citizens have been killed in robberies while using taxis hailed on the street. After an evening screening, order a car through a dispatch service or a ride app.

For emergencies in Colombia, dial 123, and the US Embassy in Bogotá answers on +57 (601) 275-2000. The department also lists a consular agency in Barranquilla, a Caribbean-coast city.

The department encourages US citizens to buy medical evacuation insurance. Carry prescription medicines in their original packaging with your doctor’s prescription.

What Is Not Known Yet

For the Cartagena Film Festival 2027, the venues, the film lineup, the guests and the daily schedule are not published. The organiser’s site also gives no 2027 ticket or accreditation rules, so we cannot say which screenings are free.

We did not find a published price for hotels or flights during the festival. Prices for any Cartagena trip in April 2027 should be checked with the airline and hotel directly, because we have no confirmed figures.

What Comes Next

Our Cartagena city page covers living in and visiting the city. Our Hay Festival Cartagena 2027 guide covers the literary festival there from 28 to 31 January 2027.

The guide to what to do in Cartagena in October 2026 lists current events. Travellers from Florida can also read about United’s new Cartagena flights from 17 December 2026.

We will update this Cartagena Film Festival guide when the organiser publishes the programme in March 2027. Check the festival’s own site again then for venues and ticket rules.

More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Cartagena Film Festival in 2027?

FICCI 66 runs from Tuesday 6 to Sunday 11 April 2027 in Cartagena de Indias. The programme and venues are not published yet.

Is the Cartagena Film Festival free?

The festival’s website calls it a free event, and the 2026 opening screening was free until capacity. The 2027 ticket and accreditation rules are not published.

Do US citizens need a visa to attend?

No. The US State Department says US citizens need no visa for stays of 90 days or less. Your passport must be valid for your whole stay.

Sources: FICCI, official festival website (66th edition dates, call for entries, free-event description), accessed 28 October 2026; FICCI 66 participation rules (deadlines, fees in US$, eligibility, sections, prizes), accessed 28 October 2026; FICCI 65 press release (14 to 19 April 2026, film and country counts, industry programme), accessed 28 October 2026; US Department of State, Colombia Country Information (entry rules, travel advisory, taxi warning, emergency numbers), accessed 28 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief