10:00-11:45 AM • Longère Sudel Fuma
RON KOZÉ moderated by Mohamed Saïd OUMA with Amil SHIVJI, Manon AMACOUTY, Lydia MATATA and Aina RANDRIANATOANDRO

Together, these storytellers, filmmakers and critics explore the specificity of place in their work and how their respective contexts shape both the form and content of their storytelling. Drawing on selected examples from their films and creative practices, the discussion examines how they navigate and challenge systemic constraints, from limited infrastructure and funding to questions of visibility and access.

10:00-11:30 AM • Lespas culturel Leconte de Lisle
MASTERCLASS by Mehret MANDEFRO

A masterclass for independent producers ready to stop starting over. Learn how to go from individual projects to a slate-driven production company that attracts serious capital and strategic partners that ensure your work grows.

1:30-3:00 PM • Lespas culturel Leconte de Lisle

• Bus depot by Prantik NARAYAN BASU 
• Leaking Fridge, Crying Baby by Bauddhayan MUKHERJI
• The Child Will Carry You by Cheta CHUKWU
• Ngithembe (Trust Me) by Samke MAKHOBA
• Sitraka sy Telina by Aina RANDRIANATOANDRO
• Babouk-Man by Boris LALLEMAND  
• Do lo la rivièr i koul da’ mèr by Célia BERBY MAILLOT
• CHOVU by Lydia MATATA

3:30-4:30 PM • Longère Sudel Fuma

3:15-4:15 PM • Lespas culturel Leconte de Lisle
PANEL with Gugi GUMILANG and Lova NANTENAINA

Ever wonder what really happens to your film or grant application after you hit “submit”? Documentary strategist Gugi Gumilang and filmmaker Lova Nantenaina will discuss behind-the-scenes look at the “black box” of documentary selection. Gugi will pull back the curtain on how projects are evaluated, while Lova will share his firsthand experience navigating these same hurdles as a director. Explore the “Three Pillars” of a winning dossier -Clarity, Access, and Intention- and learn how to make your story stand out in a crowded global market while staying true to your unique cultural voice.

10:00-11:30 AM • Lespas culturel Leconte de Lisle
PANEL by Diana ELBAUM and Mohamed SAÏD OUMA

Is co-production a marriage of convenience or a risky love at first sight? From the initial spark to post-distribution exhaustion, Diana and Mohamed invite you to a “therapy session” for producers and filmmakers. Between North-South imbalances and the pitfalls of post-colonial prejudices, they deconstruct the myths of partnership. Learn how to align your interests, protect your vision, and transform the “passionate blindness” of a project into a lasting professional union.

1:30-3:30 PM • Lespas culturel Leconte de Lisle

• Children of the Sea by Pooja SAMPATH and Umeed MISTRY 
• The Ones With The Tempered Flowers by Neema NGELIME
• De l’ombre à l’écran, une autre histoire du cinéma français by Euzhan PALCY
• A Little Love by Soham KUNDU
• Green migrants by Ary-Misa RAKOTOBE
• L’homme multiple by Patrice CANABADY 
• The Weight I Carry by Wairimu KIMOTHO 
• Femmes des Îles de La Lune : au coeur d’un passage by Natacha MOUSTOIFA

1:30-2:30 PM • Longère Sudel Fuma

3:15-4:15 PM • Lespas culturel Leconte de Lisle
MASTERCLASS by Hédi ZARDI

In an ever-evolving film market characterized by fragile economic balances and shifting geopolitical contexts, how can our stories find their paths to circulation and distribution? As buyers become increasingly cautious and the market polarizes around a limited number of high-profile titles, it is crucial to identify the key steps to bring a strong, unapologetically unique and distinctive film to theaters.

9:15-10:45 PM • Longère Sudel Fuma
with Antonio Grigolini, Aurélie Chesné, Toufaili Andjilani, Valérie Filain, Stéphane Pessin and Marie Sawiat

Meeting with the heads of programs at the France Télévision group, including the Overseas Department.

What editorial guidelines are in place, and how can one collaborate with these departments ?

11:00 AM-12:00 PM • Longère Sudel Fuma
PRESENTATION by Lisa CHALVET

Producers, expand your global ambitions through the Regional Film and Audiovisual Support Fund and explore a fast-growing strategic territory: Reunion Islands : France and Europe at the core of the Indian Ocean region. This information session offers direct access to funding mechanisms, support schemes, and concrete co-production opportunities with partners from a rapidly evolving creative ecosystem. Emerging talent, exceptional locations, attractive incentives: the region provides fertile ground for bold, internationally competitive collaborations.

1:30-2:45 PM • Longère Sudel Fuma
PRESENTATION by Daphné BRUNEAU

The Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) is committed to addressing current challenges that are transforming the various sectors of moving images through actions carried out at international, national, and local levels. Indeed, the CNC works closely with local authorities as part of its partnership policy, which notably ties it to the Réunion Region. The new partnership framework aims to stand out with strengthened ambitions in media literacy and cultural outreach.

3:00-4:30 PM • Longère Sudel Fuma
MASTERCLASS by Georg TILLER

After the the screening of his AI-generated short film The Valley Where LOAB Lives (presented at the Berlinale), filmmaker Georg will present the creative and technical processes used in making the film. He will share the main principles of his artistic manifesto and address the major questions raised by artificial intelligence in cinema: copyright, ethical issues, responsibility, and regulatory developments.

This talk aims to spark a strategic discussion on how AI can become a creative, structuring, and sustainable tool for the audiovisual industry in the Indian Ocean region.

9:00-10:30 AM • Longère Sudel Fuma
hosted by Estelle JOMARON-GALABERT

Aïssa Maïga is a prominent French actress, writer, director, and producer of Senegalese and Malian descent. In 2026, she stars in several projects: a TV movie by Corinne Masiero, the sci-fi film Juste après l’Aube by Olivier Boillot, and the political thriller Killing of a Nation by Mexican director Carlos Bolado. Known for memorable roles in Il a déjà tes yeux and Bienvenue à Marly-Gomont, she also built an international career with Taken Down, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and King Shaka.

In 2018, she co-authored Noire n’est pas mon métier, a manifesto exposing racism in the film industry. As a director, she co-directed Regard Noir (2021) and helmed Marcher sur l’eau (2021), an acclaimed climate documentary. In 2025, she appeared in Promis le ciel by Erige Sehiri, selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.

10:45 AM-12:00 PM • Longère Sudel Fuma
PANEL by Estelle JOMARON-GALABERT with Michel MEY, Aleksand Saya, Yannis Nanguet dit Boogie and Aurus

This year, FIFOI is innovating with a workshop dedicated to the alliance between music and cinema. The goal: Move away from royalty-free music and promote local creations by bringing together composers, directors, writers, and producers from Réunion and the Indian Ocean region.