15/04/2025 - The programme is set to welcome 18 features, including an animated film and a documentary, for a selection rich in debut features and led by Christian Petzold and Robin Campillo

“The selection process was very intense since almost half of the films (1,605 features and 2,534 shorts) arrived after 15 March. But despite difficulties to make films due to censorship in certain countries, wars or lack of access to funding, we can be very happy with the state of world cinema and with the richness of creativity, with films that are ahead of their time and interrogate rather than judge.”

Persevering in his quest for discoveries off the beaten path and his predilection for a diversity of genres, Julien Rejl, the General Delegate of Directors’ Fortnight, unveiled the programme of the 57th edition of the parallel section (which will unfold from 14 to 22 May as part of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival) today at noon, at the Forum des Images in Paris. The selection includes eight debut features and brings together nine European, four North American, four Asian and one Australian titles.

Six French filmmakers will be taking part: Robin Campillo (winner of the Grand Prize in Cannes in 2016 and of the Orizzonti Best Film Award in Venice in 2013), who will open the section with Enzo (read the article), whose direction is also credited to the dearly departed Laurent Cantet; Antony Cordier (revealed in the Fortnight 20 years ago with Cold Showers [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and who went through the Venice competition in 2010 with Happy Few [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) with The Party’s Over! (Classe moyenne) (article); Julia Kowalski with the horror film Her Will Be Done (Que ma volonté soit faite) (a France-Poland co-production - article); Thomas Ngijol with the surprise Indomptables (a change of register for the director, with a film shot in Cameroon, adapted from the documentary A Crime in Abidjan by Mosco Boucault); and the debut features The Girl in the Snow (L’engloutie) by Louise Hémon (article) and The Girls We Want (Les Filles désir) by Prïncia Car (article).

Five other European filmmakers (for three films) have been selected: celebrated German director Christian Petzold with Mirrors No. 3 (a great premiere on the Croisette for the filmmaker selected six times in competition in Berlin, winning a Silver Bear for directing in 2012 and the Grand Prize in 2023, once in Venice and one in San Sebastián), Belgian filmmaker Valery Carnoy with Wild Foxes (La danse des renards) (a debut feature starring Samuel Kircher in the lead - article) and Ukrainian filmmakers Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova and Simon Mozgovyi with the documentary Militantropos.

The North American continent is very well represented with four films including the debut features Sorry Baby by American filmmaker Eva Victor (a popular film at the latest Sundance Film Festival, produced by Barry Jenkins and which will close the Fortnight) and Lucky Lu by her compatriot Lloyd Lee Choi, as well as two Canadian titles: the animated film Death Does Not Exist by Félix Dufour-Laperrière and Peak Everything by Canadian director Anne Émond (who went through Locarno Cineasti del Presente in 2015 with Our Loved Ones and three times in Toronto).

Asia is also particularly present with four selected films (three of which are debut features): two Japanese projects (Kohuho by Lee Sang-il and the debut feature Brand New Landscape by Yuiga Danzuka), one Chinese (the debut thriller Girl on Edge by Jinghao Zhou) and one Iraki (the debut The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi).

Finally, Australia will spice up the Fortnight with the survival horror film Dangerous Animals by Sean Byrne.

The full list of films selected:

Directors’ Fortnight

Feature films

Enzo - Robin Campillo (opening film)
Dangerous Animals - Sean Byrne
The Girls We Want (Les Filles Désir) - Prïncia Car
Wild Foxes (La Danse des Renards) - Valéry Carnoy
The Party’s Over! (Classe Moyenne) - Antony Cordier
Brand New Landscape - Yuiga Danzuka
Death Does Not Exist - Félix Dufour-Laperrière
Peak Everything - Anne Émond
The President's Cake - Hasan Hadi
The Girl in the Snow (L’Engloutie) - Louise Hémon
Her Will Be Done (Que ma volonté soit faite) - Julia Kowalski
Lucky Lu - Lloyd Lee Choi
Indomptables - Thomas Ngijol
Mirrors No.3 - Christian Petzold
Kokuho - Lee Sang-il
Militantropos - Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova & Simon Mozgovyi
Girl on Edge - Jinghao Zhou
Sorry, Baby - Eva Victor (closing film)

Short Films

Bread Will Walk (Le pain se lève) - Alex Boya
Karmash - Aleem Bukhari
Before the Sea Forgets - Ngọc Duy Lê
When the Geese Flew - Arthur Gay
+10K - Gala Hernández López
Loynes - Dorian Jespers
Nervous Energy - Eve Liu
Death of the Fish (La Mort du Poisson) - Eva Lusbaronian
Blue Heart (Coeur bleu) - Samuel Suffren
The Body - Louris van de Geer