Created in 1981 under the aegis of UNESCO’s International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication and sponsored by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, FIFA became an independent organization in 1983 with its own Board of Directors. Extending over five days, the 1st FIFA screened 50 films from 12 countries in a single theatre, the Cinémathèque québécoise. Beginning with its 21st edition in 2003, FIFA added 5 extra days to its schedule, making it a 10-day event.
For its 25th anniversary in 2007, more than 280 films from 25 countries were presented in eight theatres: the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
