19/04/2023 - Paloma Sermon-Daï, Iris Kaltenbäck and Vladimir Perisič will battle it out for the Grand Prize, while Marie Amachoukeli, Stéphan Castang, and Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni will get Special Screenings

Three European filmmakers are set to take part in the 62nd Critics’ Week competition, unspooling from 17-25 May within the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Unveiled today by the new artistic director Ava Cahen during an online press conference (viewable on the Critics’ Week website), the programme for this 2023 edition includes a total of 11 feature films, seven of which will screen in competition before being assessed by a jury led by Audrey Diwan (read our news).

Jostling among the seven films in contention for Critics’ Week’s Grand Prize are first fiction feature films by Belgium’s Paloma Sermon-Daï (Il pleut dans la maison [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paloma Sermon-Daï
film profile]) and France’s Iris Kaltenbäck (Le Ravissement [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iris Kaltenbäck
film profile]), as well as a second feature by Serbia’s Vladimir Perisič (Lost Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vladimir Perišić
film profile]), who’s making his return to Critics’ Week 14 years after his high-impact debut movie Ordinary People [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vladimir Perisic: Ordinary …
film profile] graced the event.

Likewise in the running are four other first feature films, coming courtesy of Brazil’s Lillah Halla (recently awarded multiple awards at Cinéma en Construction 42 – news), Malaysia’s Amanda Nell Eu, South Korea’s Jason Yu and Jordan’s Amjad Al Rasheed.

This year’s selection also includes four films set to enjoy Special Screenings out of competition. Stealing focus among these are three second feature films: Ama Gloria [+see also:
film review
interview: Marie Amachoukeli
film profile] by France’s Marie Amachoukeli (awarded 2014’s Golden Camera thanks to her co-directed movie Party Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marie Amachoukeli, Claire B…
film profile]), which is set to open this 2023 edition, No Love Lost [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erwan Le Duc
film profile] by her compatriot Erwan Le Duc (discovered in the 2019 Directors’ Fortnight via The Bare Necessity [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erwan Le Duc
film profile]), occupying the festival’s closing slot, and (Ex)perience of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ann Sirot & Raphael Balboni
film profile] by Belgian directors Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni (much remarked upon for Madly in Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Raphaël Balboni & Ann Sirot
film profile]). Vincent Must Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stéphan Castang
film profile], the debut feature title by French director Stéphan Castang’s, has also been chosen for this selection (article).

It’s worth highlighting that six of the 11 selected feature films are directed by women. Meanwhile, 13 short films (ten in competition and three in Special Screenings) round off the programme.

The selection is as follows:

Feature Films

Competition

Power Alley [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lillah Halla
film profile] - Lillah Halla (Brazil/France/Uruguay)
Il pleut dans la maison [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paloma Sermon-Daï
film profile] - Paloma Sermon-Daï (Belgium/France)
Inchallah a Boy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Amjad Al Rasheed (Jordan/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/France)
Jam (Sleep) - Jason Yu (South Korea)
Lost Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vladimir Perišić
film profile] - Vladimir Perisič (France/Serbia/Croatia/Luxembourg)
Le Ravissement [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iris Kaltenbäck
film profile] - Iris Kaltenbäck (France)
Tiger Stripes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amanda Nell Eu
film profile] - Amanda Nell Eu (Malaysia/Taiwan/Singapore/France/Germany/the Netherlands/Indonesia/Qatar)

Special Screenings

Ama Gloria [+see also:
film review
interview: Marie Amachoukeli
film profile] - Marie Amachoukeli (France) (opening film)
Vincent Must Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stéphan Castang
film profile] - Stéphan Castang (France)
(Ex)perience of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ann Sirot & Raphael Balboni
film profile] – Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni (Belgium/France)
No Love Lost [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erwan Le Duc
film profile] - Erwan Le Duc (France) (closing film)

Short Films

Competition

Arkhé - Armando Navarro (Mexico)
Boléro - Nans Laborde-Jourdàa (France)
Contadores - Irati Gorostidi Agirretxe (Spain)
Corpos Cintilantes (Shimmering Bodies/Corps Scintillants) - Inês Teixeira (Portugal)
I promise you Paradise (Paradis) - Morad Mostafa (Egypt/France/Qatar)
Krokodyl (Crocodile/Le Crocodile) - Dawid Bodzak (Poland)
La saison pourpre - Clémence Bouchereau (France)
Prava istina priče o šori (The Real Truth about the Fight) - Andrea Slaviček (Croatia/Spain)
Via Dolorosa - Rachel Gutgarts (France)
Walking With Her into the Night - Hui Shu (China)

Special Screenings

Midnight Skin - Manolis Mavris (Greece/France)
Pleure pas Gabriel - Mathilde Chavanne (France)
Stranger - Jehnny Bethet, Iris Chassaigne (France)

Invitation - International Film Festival of Morelia

El cortometraje - José Luis Isoard Arrubarrena (Mexico)
Ir y volver (To Go Away and Come Back/Partir et revenir) - José Permar (Mexico/Belgium/Hungary)
Las cosas que te digo (The Things I Tell You) - Daniela Silva Solórzano (Mexico)
Una mano bajo la nieve (A Hand Beneath the Snow) - José Esteban Pavlovich (Mexico)

(Translated from French)