Festivals are essential partners for films. Historically, they have been pivotal in highlighting the diversity of artistic perspectives and offering festivalgoers platforms for discussion and debates.

However, the last months saw repeated and concerning situations where some festivals became the catalysts of increasingly polarized societies. Fulfilling their traditional role serenely has become challenging. Festivals have been disrupted, hit by societal or (geo)political debates, if not threatened and/or forced to withdraw films that were attacked or postpone screenings in order to protect their staff, the film’s crew, and the audience.

Are these situations isolated cases or a concerning new trend? How do festivals adapt to continue offering their audiences films that tell the world? How to secure that artistic independence when selecting remain the cornerstone of festivals? How to protect the need for independence? How to promote this need within the festivals’ ecosystem? More generally, how are festivals being prepared to cope with multifaceted threats that come with more divided societies?

This FIAPF accredited festivals’ panel session will be the opportunity for festivals to share experience and thoughts on this matter and exchange on how to navigate this new reality.