The debut documentary film Makongo by Elvis Sabin Ngaibino (Central African Republic / Argentina / Italy), which participated in the Final Cut in Venice workshop at the Venice International Film Festival 2019, won the Prix International de la Scam (the second award of the Festival) at the 42nd Cinéma du réel in Paris. The Festival was cancelled because of the current health emergency, but the Jury decided to view the selected films online anyway, and to award the prizes.

Makongo is about the Aka pygmies, who live in absolute misery in the Central African Republic, in makeshift camps on the margins of society, on the edge of the deep forest. Yet two young boys continue to have faith in the virtues of education.

Cinéma du reel is one of the most important documentary film festivals in the world, founded in 1978 by the great documentary filmmaker Jean Rouch and by Jean-Michel Arnold. Up to last year, it presented an average of 200 films to an audience of 170,000 spectators, at the Centre Pompidou and in other movie theatres around Paris.

Final Cut in Venice is a project that since 2013 has supported films in post-production from African countries and Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, as part of the Venice Production Bridge at the Venice International Film Festival.

Final Cut in Venice takes place over three days during which the working copies of up to six selected films are presented to producers, buyers, distributors and film festival programmers.

The next edition of the Final Cut in Venice workshop is scheduled to take place from September 3rd to 5th 2020, as part of the 77th Venice Film Festival.

The 77th Venice International Film Festival will be held on the Lido di Venezia from September 2nd to 12th 2020, directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by La Biennale di Venezia chaired by Roberto Cicutto.