Cabo Verde International Film Festival

The Cabo Verde International Film Festival (CVIFF) is a film festival in Cape Verde first established in 2010.^[1][2]

As of September 2018^[update], about 200 films have been screened at the festival.^[3] While CVIFF has received entries from other nations, most films screened are from the host country.^[1]

Management

Suely Neves in 2016

CVIFF's executive producer is Suely Neves. A graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst,^[4] she wrote her graduate thesis for SIT Graduate Institute on Cape Verde's deportation policies.^[5][6] She has been a project officer at the International Organization for Migration and 3x3 basketball coordinator.^[4][7]

History

The film festival first premiered in October 2010 in Espargos, Sal. While originally conceived in 2008, the idea of a film festival was postponed due to the 2008 financial crisis.^[2] The first event had a total of five films screened which Neves has said was a positive start for the newly organized event. At the time, CVIFF was unable to secure sponsorships from businesses or cultural organizations, which would remain a problem for at least the next three years.^[2]

In 2014, it was reported that Hollywood filmmaker Mike Costa would be participating in that year's CVIFF as a panelist and jury member.^[8] The year prior the festival partnered with the African-American Film Critics Association to increase American presence there.^[9][10]