FIPRESCI Marks 100 Years with Global Festival Celebrations

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) is celebrating its centenary in 2025 with a series of high-profile appearances, awards, and special programs at major film festivals around the world. Founded in 1925, the organization has spent a century championing cinema through criticism, recognition, and debate. This year, its anniversary is being woven into the programming of numerous international festivals.

The celebrations began last December 2024. In that time, FIPRESCI announced a series of programs to celebrate this anniversary. Later in May, during the 78th Cannes Film Festival (13–24 May 2025), the Egyptian Pavilion at the Marché du Film hosted a reception to honour FIPRESCI’s 100th year. The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) announced a landmark partnership with the federation, which will include a research seminar and a commemorative publication on FIPRESCI’s history. CIFF’s upcoming 46th edition, scheduled for 12–21 November 2025, will feature the first-ever “FIPRESCI 100 – Lifetime Achievement Award”, to be presented to a distinguished figure in cinema.

In March, the 29th Sofia International Film Festival in Bulgaria joined the centenary festivities by introducing the “FIPRESCI 100 Platinum Award”, given to two filmmakers: Bulgarian director Georgi Djulgerov and Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. The ceremony was accompanied by a masterclass moderated by a FIPRESCI member, reflecting on the federation’s legacy and the role of criticism in shaping film culture.

Across the Atlantic, the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (JDIFF) in Iowa integrated the anniversary into its April 21–27, 2025 edition. An esteemed FIPRESCI jury judged entries and awarded the FIPRESCI Prize, underscoring the federation’s global reach. The event also acknowledged Klaus Eder, who served as FIPRESCI’s General Secretary from 1987 to 2024, for his decades of contribution to the organization. Eder’s work was further recognized in Germany when he received the German Film Critics’ Honorary Award in connection with the centenary.

In Belgium, celebrations take a local form through the Union of the Belgian Film Press (UBFP–UPCB), a national FIPRESCI affiliate that is also marking its 100th anniversary this year. Brussels’ CINEMATEK is hosting monthly screenings of films celebrated by Belgian critics over the past century, offering audiences a historical journey through national and international cinema.

By embedding its anniversary within festivals from Europe to North America, FIPRESCI is underscoring the international nature of its mission. From honouring filmmakers and critics to revisiting a century’s worth of film heritage, the federation’s centenary is as much about looking forward as it is about reflecting on its past.

After 100 years, FIPRESCI remains a fixture in world cinema, shaping conversations about film art and continuing to celebrate excellence through the critics’ lens.