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 7 festivals are hosting the 8 CICAE international juries. 
You can find the listed here below. 

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
The Festival covers:
  • Accommodation in Berlin during the Jury period
  • Jury Accreditation
Next Edition

15 - 25 February 2024

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.

The Festival Covers:
  • Accommodation in Toulouse for three days
  • Festival and Industry Accreditation
  • Meals during the Festival
Next Edition

Festival: 15 -24 March 2024 

Cinéma en Construction: 21 and 22 March 2024

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.

The Festival covers:
  • Accommodation in Sarajevo during the Jury period
  • Jury accreditation
Next Edition

16-23 August 2024

CINEFEST MISKOLC

In the last 20 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.

The Festival covers:
  • Transfers between Budapest and Miskolc
  • Accommodation in Miskolc during the Jury period
  • Jury accreditation
Next Edition

6-14 September 2024

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.

The Festival covers
  • Transportation to Hamburg
  • Accommodation in Hamburg during the Jury period
  • Jury Accreditation
Next Edition

October 2024 

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.

The Festival covers
  • Voucher for transportation to Tucson, Arizona
  • Accommodation in Tucson during the Jury period
  • Jury Accreditation
Next Edition

October 2024

SEMINCI

The Valladolid International Film Festival is one of the oldest and most consolidated in the whole of Europe, , having been established in 1956. The CICAE works in collaboration with SEMINCI to reward a film from the «ALCHEMIES Official Selection».

ALCHEMIES is a new section this year, dedicated to films which faithfully reflect the festival's vision of cinema: fictions which tell universal stories from dynamic, deeply personal points of view. Proposals which offer powerful formal experiences but also have a deeply humanist vibe.

The Festival covers:
  • Transportation to Valladolid
  • Accommodation in Valladolid during the Jury period
  • Jury Accreditation
Next Edition

19-26 October 2024

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. 

CICAE Juries in 2022 (Ciné Junior, Berlinale, Sarajevo Film Festival, Annecy Cinéma Italien, Cinefest Miskolc, Filmfest Hamburg and Loft Film Fest)
CICAE Juries in 2022 (Ciné Junior, Berlinale, Sarajevo Film Festival, Annecy Cinéma Italien, Cinefest Miskolc, Filmfest Hamburg and Loft Film Fest)

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 2023

  • The Quiet Girl (Ireland, 2022, 96 min) by Colm Bairéad at Ciné Junior 
  • The Teacher's Lounge (Germany, 2023, 98 min) by İlker Çatak at Berlinale Panorama
  • The Face of the Jellyfish (Argentina, 2022, 76 min) by Melisa Liebenthal at Berlinale Forum
  • Levante (Brazil, 2023, 97 min) by Lillah Halla at Cinélatino - Cinéma en Construction
  • Libertate (Romania, Hungary, 2023, 119 min) by Tudor Giurgiu at Sarajevo Film Festival
  • Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry (Switzerland, Georgia, 2023, 110 min) by Elene Naveriani at CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival
  • How to Have Sex (United Kingdom, Greece, Belgium, 2023, 98 min) by Molly Manning Walker at Filmfest Hamburg
  • Fancy Dance (USA, 2023, 90 min) by Erica Tremblay at the Loft Film Fest
  • Femme (United Kingdom, 2023, 99 min) by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping at SEMINCI Valladolid

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

How do we promote the awarded films?

COMMUNICATION

The Arthouse Cinema Award helps the films towards distribution, by systematically informing the over 2,400 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 Valentin Jassin at valentin.jassin@cicae.org.

    Stay in touch!