The 2019 Cameroon International Film Festival (CAMIFF) has been canceled amid escalating violence in the country's English-speaking regions, with organizers announcing a planned 2020 rescheduling.
Originally set for April 22-27 in Buea, the capital of the Southwest region, the event faces logistical challenges due to the ongoing conflict. Festival CEO Mr. Agbor Gilbert Ebot cited restricted access to Buea and security advisories against travel to Cameroon as key factors in the decision.
"Consultations with local authorities, police, and embassies confirmed that the Anglophone crisis would make participation and screenings impractical," Ebot stated. He noted international guests have received travel restrictions from their governments, complicating the festival's viability.
Organizers explored alternative dates but determined that shifting the event would be "impractical" given the conflict's duration. The 2020 edition will retain all 2019 submissions, with Ebot expressing hope for improved conditions by then. "Securing human lives remains our priority," he added, apologizing to affected attendees.
The conflict, which began in 2017 after separatists declared the self-proclamation of Ambazonia, has intensified in 2019 with attacks on schools and hospitals. President Paul Biya's calls for ceasefire have gone unheeded.
Historically, Southern Cameroon - now the Northwest and Southwest regions - was a British-administered UN trust territory before joining Francophone Cameroon in 1961.
