Ouagadougou International Short Film Festival

About us

We are an international film festival dedicated to short films (fiction, documentary, and animation), celebrating creativity and innovation since 2022 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The first festival of its kind in Burkina Faso, it was created in 2022 and takes place at the end of November each year.

Ouaga Côté Court is open to filmmakers from all five continents. Three categories of short films are invited: fiction films, documentary films, and animated films.

The Ouaga Côté Court Festival is organized jointly by Opugbu Sixième Sens, a Burkinabe non-for-profit organization.

From the artistic director

“Telling stories and making the world vibrate...”

Festival Ouaga Côté Court

"To tell stories and thrill audiences, I first turned to dance, which uses the power of movement and music. I also turned to theater, which uses the power of text, speech, and gesture. And finally, I turned to cinema to tell stories through the power of narrative, images, and sound.

Having made several short films, I have seen that the opportunities for distribution fall far short of our expectations. That is why I created Ouaga Côté Court, as an original, bold, and influential international platform for the distribution of creative short films.

With Ouaga Côté Court, we have created an event that is attractive for its conviviality and the high quality of its selection. The aim is to encourage people to go to the cinema to see short films, because short filmmaking is extraordinarily creative and provides a space for freedom that must be defended at all costs.

There is an audience for this on our continent, which does not have access to this kind of offering, even though many filmmakers want to show them their work.

With FESPACO as its companion, Ouaga Côté Court further affirms the cinematic identity of our vibrant capital. It is a resolutely international festival, because we need to see all kinds of cinema, regardless of their geographical or cultural origins.

Cinema has always made me dream and travel, and I remember with emotion the silent films of Charlie Chaplin shown at my neighborhood elementary school and our eyes and laughter as amazed children.

Ouaga Côté Court finally gives pride of place to women and young creators, encouraging their efforts to assert themselves in the 7th art, because there is no shortage of talent.

At Ouaga Côté Court, we want to enlarge the screens, we want to see beautiful films, very beautiful films, films that reflect the dynamics of our world, films that will make us travel, think, vibrate, dream... Films that will inspire the younger generations."

Irène TASSEMBEDO

Festival "Ouaga Côté Court"

Discover our international short film festival, a celebration of animated, documentary, and fiction films in Ouagadougou.

Public screenings

Enjoy a selection of 50 short films of various genres and origins each year.

Come and discover talented emerging filmmakers through awards presented by an international jury.

Awards and honors

Festival Rules

The festival rules detailing all the conditions of participation are listed below (FR & ENG).

Contactez-nous

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Call for film

Each year, the festival's call for films is open from August 1 to 31 on the shortfildepot.com platform.

Gallery

Discover some of the highlights of our festival, opening ceremonies and shows, public and street screenings, professional meetings, musical after-parties, closing ceremonies with announcements and award ceremonies.