The BAOBAB is a fascinating tree. It reminds us of an old man who has an eye on everything around him; who sees everything; knows everything; and resists all the blows of destiny and nature. In Africa, to say that a man is solid, that he has experience and wisdom, we say that he is a baobab.  Therefore, it is only natural that we have chosen this tree, with its special place in the African cosmovision, to be the official symbol of the Quibdó Africa Film Festival. Under the shadow of the Baobab sits the Griot (the storyteller in African traditions). This makes the Baobab "the tree of spoken words", a central place in the social life of the village.  It was when we tried to define and put into words the spiritual link between Africa and its diaspora that the idea of the Baobab was born. Mysticism is, for Africans and Afro-descendants, that invisible thread of our faith, the one that will make the borders between us disappear; the wire that allows reality to meet fiction. For African and Afro-descendant filmmakers, the QAFF is a meeting place where Quibdó invites us to rethink our memory and what we want to transmit and leave to future generations.

 

IDEA  AND CONCEPTION 

The idea of the Baobab was born from trying to find this link between Africa and its diaspora, something that unites us spiritually. Mysticism is for Africans and Afro-descendants, that invisible thread of our faith, which will eliminate the boundaries between us, where reality meets fiction. For African and Afro-descendant filmmakers, QAFF is a date when QUIBDÓ invites us to rethink our narrative. 
The design was made by one of Colombia's most talented artists, Paola Lucumí, Afro-Colombian visual artists, who has given life to this symbol of African culture.

The Baobab has great cultural, social and artistic value. This symbolic tree is a perfect reference for a cinematic narrative.

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In the 2026 edition of the Quibdó Africa Film Festival, the Baobab stands as a profound and enduring symbol, now recontextualized within the deep shadows and illuminating contrasts of NOIR.

This ancient tree, with its roots delving into the unseen and its majestic form sculpted by light and darkness, represents the resilience to thrive within and beyond all borders both visible and invisible. In African cosmovision, the baobab is not only a metaphor for strength and ancestral wisdom but also a sacred space of gathering, where communities converge in the shade to share stories, dissolve boundaries, and generate knowledge under the cover of night and the promise of dawn. Like the Baobab, QAFF 2026 becomes a vital meeting point to explore the chiaroscuro of existence those shades of separation, memory, and identity and to challenge them through collective cinematic creation. This symbol embodies the unbreakable, subterranean connection between Africa and its diaspora, rooted in a resilience that is both historical and creatively futuristic.

This symbolism emerged from our quest to articulate the spiritual and aesthetic bond under the theme of NOIR. It represents the shared mysticism between Africans and Afro-descendants an invisible thread of faith and imagination that transcends geography, blending reality with speculative fiction. For filmmakers across the diaspora, QAFF is more than a festival; it is a confluence where the darkness of the movie theater and the light of the screen invite us to reflect on our collective memory and the legacy we project forward.

International Competition – QAFF 2026 | Official Awards
The Quibdó África Film Festival celebrates Afro-diasporic narratives that challenge the aesthetic, historical, and cultural frontiers of cinema. In its eighth edition, under the sign of NOIR, the international competition honors works of outstanding artistic, technical, and narrative power, recognizing those that masterfully navigate the spectrum between shadow and illumination.

 

MAIN AWARDS

• Gran Premio Baobab – Best Feature Film

The festival’s highest honor. This award celebrates a work that achieves narrative mastery, aesthetic innovation, and profound afrodisruptive power, engaging deeply with the memories, presents, and possible futures of the Afro-descendant world.

• Best Director Award (Feature Film)

Awarded for audacious and visionary direction that demonstrates a compelling cinematic language and contributes a unique perspective to the global landscape of Black cinema.

• Jury Special Prize – Best Documentary (Feature or Short)

Granted to a documentary that brings silenced or underrepresented realities into the light, handled with ethical rigor, powerful storytelling, and artistic integrity.

• Best Experimental Film Award

Recognizes works that defy cinematic conventions through poetic, sensory, or hybrid approaches, expanding the audiovisual language of Afro-diasporic expression within the NOIR aesthetic.

• Best Animated Film Award

Dedicated to animation that reimagines storytelling from an afrocentric perspective, using movement, form, and shadow to create culturally innovative narratives.

 

TECHNICAL AND ARTISTIC AWARDS

• Best Cinematography Award

Honors visual artistry that poetically captures the Afro-diasporic experience, mastering the interplay of light, shadow, texture, and tone to enhance the film’s symbolic and emotional depth.

• Best Screenplay Award

Celebrates writing that combines narrative depth with a critical and nuanced exploration of social, historical, or identitarian themes relevant to the NOIR concept.

• Best Original Soundtrack Award

Recognizes musical composition and sound design that elevate the narrative, evoke memory, and forge a distinctive sonic identity resonant with the festival’s theme.

 

SHORT FILM AWARDS

• Jury Prize – Best Fiction Short Film

Awarded for originality, narrative strength, and bold artistic vision in the short format.

• Audience Award – Best Latin American Short Film

Selected by public vote. Includes a professional post-production sound package and the creation of an original soundtrack.

 

National Competition – QAFF 2026 | Celebrating Afro-Colombian Talent

• Arnoldo Palacios “The Stars Are Black” Award

A literary-cinematic prize honoring an Afro-Colombian work of high aesthetic, political, or testimonial value that aligns with the depth of the NOIR theme.

• Colombian Film Heritage Award

Awarded to the best Colombian production (fiction or documentary) that uses archival or historical material in a creative and critical way, illuminating the audiovisual memory of Afro-descendant communities.

 

Sections in Competition – QAFF 2026
We invite filmmakers and producers worldwide to submit to the official competition of the Quibdó África Film Festival. Eligible genres include Fiction, Documentary, Animation, and Experimental works of high artistic merit. While the competition centers and celebrates Afro-descendant creators, it also welcomes filmmakers from all backgrounds whose works offer original, respectful, and insightful perspectives on African and Afro-diasporic realities, particularly through the lens of NOIR.

 

Short films may also compete for the Distribution Award, dedicated to films currently without international distribution or sales representation.

Since its inception, an esteemed jury of international filmmakers, critics, and cultural practitioners has honored excellence through these awards. The festival stands out for its substantial cash prizes, complemented by in-kind awards across multiple categories, celebrating the vibrancy, strength, and luminous diversity of Black cinema around the world.​​​​​