The Arthouse Cinema Awards
The Arthouse Cinema Award is the CICAE award given at major international festivals by an international jury of arthouse cinema exhibitors and programmers, which aims at bringing high-quality films to the arthouse cinemas.
In most countries, the film market is dominated by super-productions that tend to format audience’s tastes. The vast majority of innovative films, first works and films from less recognised countries or faraway continents do not get distributed. Festivals are thus the only venue for a large number of films.
- With the Arthouse Cinema Award we want to give voice to the arthouse movement thanks to the choice made by an international jury of arthouse exhibitors.
- We want also to encourage young directors, as well as productions, to come out of less-recognized countries.
The Festivals
For many years, we have been collaborating with several festivals around Europe and worldwide, to give the Arthouse Cinema Award a space.
Awards Archive
Download the list of the Arthouse Cinema Awards from 1979.
Currently 9 festivals are hosting the 10 CICAE international juries.
You can find the listed here below.
CINÉ JUNIOR
Ciné Junior is an international film festival for children and teenagers, which seeks to introduce children and teens to cinema through a programme of quality French and foreign films. It takes place at cinemas and media libraries in Val-de-Marne.
Next Edition
1 - 14 February 2023
French knowledge required
BERLINALE
The Berlinale is a unique place of artistic exploration and entertainment. For the film industry and the media, the eleven days in February are also one of the most important events in the annual calendar and an indispensable trading forum.
2 Juries will be selected for the sections:
- Panorama
- Forum
Next Edition
16 - 26 February 2023
CINÉLATINO
The section in focus at Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse, is the one dedicated to film professionals and called "Films in Progress" (Cinéma en Construction). The section was created in 2002 together with San Sebastián Film Festival and dedicated to independent Latin American feature films unable to complete the postproduction stage due to a lack of means.
Next Edition
24 March - 2 April 2023
French or Spanish knowledge required
SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL
The Sarajevo Film Festival is the leading film festival in the region, recognized by both film professionals and the wider audience. The Sarajevo Film Festival is an international film festival with a special focus on the region of South-East Europe, shining an international spotlight on films, talent and future projects from the region.
Next Edition
11-18 August 2023
CINEFEST MISKOLC
In the last 18 years the CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival became the most well-known and, based on the feedbacks, the most popular film festival of Hungary. In every September the film professionals and the audience have a chance to watch the most outstanding, most valuable films of the year – mostly for the first time, since all films in the competition program and the Open Eye selection are Hungarian premieres.
Next Edition
1-9 September 2023
ANNECY CINÉMA ITALIEN
Annecy Cinéma Italien presents the best of current Italian cinema through the work of filmmakers who tell stories whose horizons are not limited to Italy but open to the whole world.
Next Edition
September 2023
Italian or French knowledge required
FILMFEST HAMBURG
Every autumn, FILMFEST HAMBURG attracts more than 45,000 cinema fans.Over ten days, around 110 national and international feature films and documentaries are shown on 13 screens. The programme spectrum in ten sections ranges from cineastically sophisticated art house films to innovative mainstream cinema and a colourful film and event programme for the youngest cinema-goers. FILMFEST HAMBURG presents the first productions of young German and international filmmakers as well as the films of established directors.
Next Edition
October 2023
German knowledge required
LOFT FILM FEST
The Loft Film Fest (located in beautiful Tucson, Arizona) is dedicated to showcasing the best independent, foreign and classic films, as well as celebrating the work of established and emerging directors, writers, producers and actors. The Loft Film Fest, through its eclectic and diverse programming, aims not only to expand the audience for cinema that challenges, inspires and entertains, but also to honor those artists whose talent and passion bring that cinema to life.
Next Edition
October/November 2023
FESTIVAL DE SEVILLA
The aim of the Seville Festival is to promote and spread European cinema, establishing itself as an annual meeting place for European film talents, specialised journalists and professionals from the sector. Nine days during which industry, public and critics coexist in the midst of the best European cinema. Spanish premieres of the major films in contemporary auteurist cinema, the presence of a large number of emerging talents, the determined defense of the youngest Spanish cinema, support for Andalusian cinema and, above all, the total security that today, more than ever, a film festival can be useful to the public, to films and to filmmakers.
Next Edition
November 2023
Spanish Knowledge recommended
The Jurors
Arthouse exhibitors and film programmers who are part of the CICAE network can apply and become one of the international jurors called to award the best arthouse film in one of the selected festivals, partner of the association.
Being in a CICAE jury not only gives the chance to attend well-known international film festivals and watch the selected films, but is an opportunity of exchange on international level with colleagues from other countries. It strenghten relationships and gives voice to common needs in the arthouse exhibition sector, and of course it celebrates quality films.
Apply for a CICAE jury
Apply here to participate as a CICAE jury member for the next festivals!
- Requirement: only CICAE members can apply.
- The festival covers your accomodation (except for some festivals) and the accreditation.
- The travel costs to the festival's venue stay at your charge.
Please fill out the form at the link below to apply.
The Films
Every year outstanding films win the Arthouse Cinema Award.
You can find here below the list of the winners of 2022. And by clicking on each title, you can access the full information on the film, the jury decision and get the sales/distributors contacts.
The winners of 2022
- Buladó (Curaçao, Netherlands, 2020, 86 min) by Eché Janga at Ciné Junior
- Convenience Store (Russian Federation / Slovenia / Turkey, 2022, 106 min) by Michael Borodin at Berlinale Panorama
- Geographies of Solitude (Canada, 2022, 103 min) by Jacquelyn Mills at Berlinale Forum
- Quando Minha Vida (Argentina, Brazil, 2022, 120 min) by Carolina Markowicz at Cinélatino - Cinéma en Construction
- Safe Place (Croatia, 2022, 102 min) by Juraj Lerotić at Sarajevo Film Festival
- Close (Belgium, Netherlands, France, 2022, 105 min) by Lukas Dhont at CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival
- Settembre (Italy, 2022, 110 min) by Giulia Louise Steigerwalt at Annecy Cinéma Italien
- Close (Belgium, Netherlands, France, 2022, 105 min) by Lukas Dhont at Filmfest Hamburg
- Liquor Store Dreams (USA, 2022, 82 min) by So Yun Um at the Loft Film Fest
- H (Spain, 2022, 67 min) by Carlos Pardo Ros at Festival de Sevilla
Award Archive
You can find the list of all the awarded films starting from 1979, until the current year at the link below.
Films 2022 - Gallery
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Liquor Store Dreams -
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Safe Place -
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Quando Minha Vida -
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Geographies of Solitude -
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Convenience Store -
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Buladó
How do we promote the awarded films?
COMMUNICATION
The Arthouse Cinema Award helps the films towards distribution, by systematically informing the over 2,100 member cinemas and the numerous contacts in its network.
Special Newsletter
- Periodically members of the CICAE receive a special newsletter with a "Film in Focus", which will include basic information on the awarded film: synopsis, cast and technical information, international sales and distributors contacts, promotional material and when possible a screener of the film, available on CICAE Video Library.
Regular Newsletter
- We communicate about the Arthouse Cinema Award also in our monthly newsletter, which reaches over 4,000 contacts among which the CICAE members, film professionals, partners and supporters of the association.
Social Media
- We promote the awarded films on all our social media channels, namely Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
VIDEO LIBRARY
The CICAE Video Library is hosted on the Cinando platform and it offers the possibility to all the CICAE members to watch in preview (and only for private use) the screeners of the films, which won the Arthouse Cinema Award.
Members interested in accessing the Video Library please contact Katriina Miola at katriina.miola@cicae.org.