The Black Movie International Independent Film Festival will light up Geneva for its 26th edition, from January 17 to 26, 2025. This year again, the festival is deploying an ambitious program with 114 films – 48 feature-length and 66 short films – organized into 11 thematic sections. The selection includes 47 Swiss premieres, confirming its status as a privileged meeting place for film buffs in search of discoveries and new voices.
Independent productions from 48 countries converge on Geneva, transforming the festival into a true cultural kaleidoscope. The programming interweaves universal stories, local perspectives, questions of identity and contemporary reflections. Works like Songs of Slow Burning Earth (Ukraine) or Kamay (Afghanistan) take a striking look at current conflicts, while a special focus reveals the effervescent creativity of Nigerian Nollywood cinema.
Encounters that leave a lasting impression
This year the festival welcomes 17 filmmakers, headlined by the return of Chinese master Wang Bing, who will unveil the last two chapters of his Youth documentary trilogy. A special meeting with the artist is planned for January 25. Among the highlights, a round table will explore the From Ground Zero collection, bringing together Palestinian short films made since October 2023. At the same time, the Kugler Foundry is hosting a unique exhibition around the archives of Gaza’s first commercial photographic studio.
The selected films explore both the universal and the intimate: the quest for identity in Soul of the desert (Colombia), the societal unsaid in The Burden (Central African Republic), or the human connections in the heart of Việt and Nam (Vietnam). Artistic innovation is expressed through various formats, from the rotoscopic animation of The Missing (Philippines) to documentary frescoes like My Stolen Planet (Iran, Germany).
A festival for all eyes
Le Petit Black Movie invites young spectators to discover 35 films from 27 countries, tackling essential themes such as disability, friendship or ecology. Sound effects and animation workshops enrich the family experience. For adults, evenings at the Groove room extend the immersion in the best of independent cinema.
Four awards will crown notable works, including the coveted Critics’ Prize. Six thematic evenings promise to electrify the Groove, an emblematic place in the Jonction Ecodistrict.
From January 17 to 26, 2025, the Black Movie Festival invites you to ten days of daring and committed cinema. An invitation to travel through the unique perspectives of global independent cinema.
