Cannes Critics' Week has spotlighted 10 emerging filmmakers and their feature debut projects in the 12th edition of the Next Step initiative, aimed at supporting directors who previously showcased shorts at the section. The workshop, running December 6-12, includes consultations and culminates in an Industry Day in Paris where participants meet French industry professionals. A new Next Step Sooner Prize, offering a €2,500 grant and a Cannes invitation, will be awarded to one director.
Program Overview
The Next Step workshop focuses on feature development for filmmakers who have premiered short films at Cannes Critics' Week. This year's edition brings together 10 directors at the Moulin d’Andé for sessions with consultants including Yacine Badday, Philippe Barrière, Leyla Bouzid, Juliette Lepoutre, Franco Lolli, and Thomas van Zuylen. One participant will also secure a residency at the Moulin d’Andé–CÉCI. The program ends with an Industry Day in Paris, attracting sales agents, distributors, and production companies.
A highlight is the newly introduced Next Step Sooner Prize, sponsored by the upcoming French streaming platform from the Filmo and Universciné merger, launching in January 2026. The €2,500 ($2,925) grant and Cannes Film Festival invitation will be announced in May 2026.
Selected Projects
Among the projects, Estonian director Anna Hints presents 'Black Hairy Beast,' a story of intercultural love between an Indian dancer and an Estonian journalist, blending mythologies and themes of identity and xenophobia. 'Inspired by our own intercultural love story, it follows two people who carry both the pain of “being wrong” and the wild freedom that arrives when you stop trying to fit in,' Hints told Variety.
Marinthia Gutiérrez's 'Nabor' is set in 1950s Tijuana, exploring a girl's discovery of love and family secrets amid jealousy and cabaret nights. 'We’re reclaiming our city’s image with an unapologetically analog vision,' Gutiérrez noted.
Other entries include Róisín Burns' 'Happy Hardcore,' a tale of a deserter in the Iraq War; Marie Larrivé's animated 'Erika,' a 1999 revenge story in Brittany; Carmen Leroi’s time-travel romance 'L’Expérience impossible'; Robert-Jonathan Koeyers' animated 'Story of August' on family trauma; Leonardo Martinelli's musical 'Fantasma Neon' about gig economy struggles in Rio; Bruno Ribeiro's 'Saturday in Copacabana,' a screwball comedy; Juan Pablo Villalobos' 'Ladrones de cuadros,' a contemplative comedy; and Ananth Subramaniam's 'Pray to the Thunder,' a punk rebellion in Malaysia.
Diversity and Impact
The selection emphasizes diversity, with half the directors being women and strong representation from Latin America, including two Mexican and two Brazilian projects. Genres span romantic comedy, social drama, animation, political musicals, and magical realism. Next Step continues collaborations like SACEM for scoring and plans a 2026 studio with DW focusing on Indonesia.
'This class of directors and their projects reflect the commitment to diversity at Cannes Critics' Week,' said Thomas Rosso, program manager. The initiative has a track record of successful projects reaching fruition.
