Updated English Version (21st edition):
The International Film Festival of Pasto (FICPA), which celebrates its twenty-first edition in October 2025, is a prominent competitive event that brings together the best of national and international cinema. With official categories covering a wide range of topics—from human rights to the environment, including animation and children's films—FICPA offers a unique platform for diversity and cinematic expression.
Located in the picturesque city of Pasto, Colombia, globally recognized for its iconic Carnival of Blacks and Whites, the festival not only celebrates the art of cinema but also highlights the region’s rich cultural heritage. As the oldest film event in southwestern Colombia, FICPA awards the coveted Sol de los Pastos (Sun of the Pastos) prize, establishing itself as a must-attend event on both the local and international cultural calendars.
The International Film Festival of Pasto (FICPA), which celebrates its twenty-first edition in October 2025, is a prominent competitive event that brings together the best of national and international cinema. With official categories covering a wide range of topics—from human rights to the environment, including animation and children's films—FICPA offers a unique platform for cinematic diversity and expression. Located in the picturesque city of Pasto, Colombia, globally recognized for its iconic Carnival of Blacks and Whites, the festival not only celebrates the art of cinema but also showcases the rich cultural heritage of the region. As the oldest film event in southwestern Colombia, FICPA presents the coveted Sol de los Pastos (Sun of the Pastos) award, establishing itself as a must-attend event on both the local and international cultural calendars.
The Festival presents a variety of awards that reflect the region's rich culture and traditions. In the official Sol de los Pastos category, a unique statuette representing the sun is awarded, featuring a film frame at its center through which recipients can look. This wooden sculpture, decorated with tamo and Pasto varnish—a Colombian artisanal technique gaining international acclaim—is a piece with no commercial value. Winning films receive this statuette, while non-winning selections receive a diploma. In the Official Churo Cósmico Selection, films in each category receive a statuette or plaque depicting a monkey with a coiled spiral tail, symbolizing the inward-outward movement and cosmic thinking of the indigenous peoples of Pasto. In the official Cámaras de Barniz category, Sol de los Pastos statuettes are awarded in different sizes and colors. Additionally, the Festival provides some accommodation and meal slots for selected participants, and Colombian productions may receive an automatic grant from the FDC of up to one million pesos for travel and accommodation expenses.
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Nelsonn Tequia
October 2021
