By Ava Elghanayan, Bates College Class of 2026
The FIAPF accreditation is a certification granted by the International Federation of Film Producers Association. The FIAPF claims to guarantee that their accredited festivals meet high standards for film promotion, curation, and security. Accredited festivals must follow specific regulations that protect producers and creators. The FIAPF represents film producers worldwide. According to the website for the Toronto International Film Festival, “The FIAPF aims to defend the creative, legal and regulatory interests of the Film Production sector worldwide. FIAPF also manages the FIAPF Accreditation Program for International Film Festivals, which brings together 44 International Film Festivals from 27 countries on the five continents.”
Prior to March 2026, FIAPF accreditation was divided into a four category system of competitive, specialized, non-competitive, and documentary. As of March 2026, the accreditation system has been revamped to include a single category which recognizes 17 competitive A-list festivals. Now, there is no distinction by format or genre. Instead, they focus solely on overall industry impact. This includes the number of professional attendees, ability to attract journalists, and data on audiences, number of admissions to screenings, occupancy rates, and development strategies. While some may view these numbers as an indication of a successful festival, the FIAPF is merely measuring numbers. They do not take into account whether these festivals are accessible, what each festival individually promotes, or the individual impact the festival has on audience members.
“Instead, [the FIAPF] focus[es] solely on overall industry impact. … They do not take into account whether these festivals are accessible, what each festival individually promotes, or the individual impact the festival has on audience members.”
The Bates Film Festival has not sought accreditation by FIAPF. Our primary focus is to foster productive and open minded conversations among community members about social justice through the films we show. While The FIAPF highly values industry impact, we place value on our social justice theme, community discussions, and civic engagement. However, we still are well-known and offer publicity and the opportunity to connect with high-level industry professionals. We are unique in that our events are free to the public, and we offer competitive awards, with our audience and jury awards. We are also unique in that students are involved in every aspect of planning the festival. Although it is not a traditionally accredited festival, we aim to bring people together under a shared love of film.
