Cartagena Film Festival (FICCI)

Cartagena Film Festival (FICCI) takes place Apr 2027 (expected; the 2026 edition ran Apr 14 - 19) in Cartagena, Colombia. The dress code is Light tropical clothing; breathable fabrics and comfortable shoes for the humid walled city. Typical cost ranges from 50 to 300 EUR per person.

Cartagena Film Festival (FICCI) in Cartagena, Colombia
Photograph by SassiHH, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia.

The oldest film festival in Latin America, staged inside Cartagena's walled colonial old town on the Caribbean coast. It spotlights Latin American, Caribbean, Afro and Indigenous cinema, and its open-air screenings in historic squares - free to anyone who wanders in - make it one of the most atmospheric places on earth to watch a film.

When
Apr 2027 (expected; the 2026 edition ran Apr 14 - 19)
Where
Cartagena, Colombia
Dress code
Light tropical clothing; breathable fabrics and comfortable shoes for the humid walled city
Cost
Typical cost ranges from 50 to 300 EUR per person.
Weather
30 - 32C hot and humid, strong Caribbean sun, largely dry
When to book
Buy passes via the official site once the program drops (Feb - Mar); walled-city hotels book out for Easter-season weeks
Getting there
CTG (Cartagena), ~15 min to the walled city
Where to stay
Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena, Casa San Agustin, Casa del Coliseo
Official site
https://ficcifestival.com/

How to attend

Open-air plaza and community screenings are free; paid passes covering theatre venues cost roughly 20 EUR and are sold via ficcifestival.com. The festival is fully open to the public. It traditionally runs in April - confirm 2027 dates when announced, and book walled-city hotels well ahead.

The 2027 dates have not been announced and passes are not on sale; the plaza screenings are free once the festival runs.

Insider tip

The free open-air screenings in the colonial plazas are the soul of the festival - arrive at dusk with water and claim a seat before the crowds drift in from dinner.

Get inside Cartagena Film Festival (FICCI)

Booking matters here: buy passes via the official site once the program drops (Feb - Mar); walled-city hotels book out for Easter-season weeks. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.

Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.