Launching 2027
The inaugural Rigel Film Festival will take place in London, creating a new platform for Cameroonian stories on the global stage.
Coming in 2027
Rigel Film Festival
A new London festival celebrating Cameroonian film, from narrative storytelling to factual content — and the emerging filmmakers who bring those stories to life.
Why a film festival?
Cameroon's creative sector is rich with talent, but emerging filmmakers often lack the international visibility, networks and production support needed to reach wider audiences.
Rigel Film Festival exists to close that gap. By bringing narrative and factual work to London, we create space for Cameroonian stories to be seen, discussed and developed.
“Film is a powerful tool for cultural exchange and social change. We want to make sure the next generation of Cameroonian filmmakers has a stage.”
— Rigel Trust
Festival focus areas
Five pillars guide the festival programme and its support for filmmakers.
Cameroon in Focus
We spotlight the creative industry in Cameroon — its voices, landscapes, cultures and contemporary realities.
Narrative Film
We encourage emerging filmmakers telling scripted stories: drama, comedy, thriller and everything in between.
Factual Content
Documentary, reportage and non-fiction work that explores real lives, issues and achievements are central to our programme.
Emerging Talent
The festival is built to champion new and under-represented filmmakers with mentorship, exposure and practical support.
Festival timeline
The road to our first live screening in London.
Now
Public announcement
We open our submission portal and launch our first campaigns across social media.
October 2026 – May 2027
Submissions open worldwide
Short films are welcome from anywhere in the world, with a special focus on our new micro-documentary category.
June – July 2027
Curation and programming
Our panel reviews every entry and selects the line-up for the inaugural festival.
End of August 2027
Live screening in London
Our first annual screening event brings the selected films to a live London audience.
Submissions are free — always £0
We charge no mandatory entry fee, in any category. We want your vision, not your cash — and keeping entry free means no commission is taken out of our fundraising by third-party platforms.
If you have the means, we warmly invite you to make a voluntary contribution directly to Rigel Trust, or to share our work with your audience. Every festival screening exists to raise awareness and funds for our community programmes.
New: micro-documentaries under 5 minutes
We have opened a dedicated call for short factual films with a total running time of five minutes or less, including credits.
- • Screened as part of the live 2027 programme in London.
- • Used, with the filmmaker's permission, in our awareness campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
- • Full category rules and terms are shared with every submission.
Get involved with the festival
We are building partnerships with programmers, venues, sponsors and filmmakers. If you would like to take part, please get in touch.
Contact the festival team