Since 1992, films from all over Europe are competing at the festival to light and wins recognition for the viewpoint of young European filmmakers.

[5] Five programmes and around two dozens French speaking films are screened at the Mac Orlan theater gathering an audience of around 700 people.

This is how many exchanges with European cities such as Hamburg (Germany), Vila do Conde (Portugal), Tampere (Finland) happened.

[6] Among its most well-known guests, the festival hosted Joris Ivens, Michelangelo Antonioni,[6] Mathilda May,[14] Hilton McConnico, Hippolyte Girardot, Marion Cotillard,[15] Sylvie Testud, Élisabeth Depardieu,[16] Peter Mullan, Richard Bohringer, Vincent Lindon, Gérard Darmon, Caroline Loeb, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, René Vautier, Véronique Jannot, Pascal Légitimus,[14] François Ozon,[17] Keren Ann[18] and Breton artists Étienne Daho[16] and Yelle.

[19] The festival has enabled the highlighting of numerous directors who then got involved in making successful feature films such as Arnaud Desplechin, Cédric Klapisch, Éric Rochant, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Mathieu Kassovitz,[6] François Ozon,[20] Pascale Breton,[21] Fred Cavayé, Gérald Hustache-Mathieu, etc.

[23] For ten years, from 1996 to 2007, Côte Ouest oversees the national Cinéville system " Un été au ciné " with outdoors screenings.

[24] The festivals aims at promoting young filmmakers both European and French as well as introducing the widest audience possible with cinema.

[23] After eight years as artistic director of the festival, Olivier Bourbeillon hands over to Gilbert Le Traon and Mirabelle Fréville.

[28] From 2011 to 2015, Massimiliano Nardulli takes care of the programmation searching for emergent talents and European productions all year.

The "passeurs de courts" jury promotes short films in 39 Breton cinemas.

The Beaumarchais-SACD foundation also awards a prize as well as the audience by filling out voting papers at the end of each screening.

[42] In 1990, French partners get involved enabling the festival to grow : the Gan Foundation for cinema, Kodak (photography prize) and "Histoires Courtes" on Antenne 2.