Committed to offering visibility to high-quality independent works that are often screened too little, and true to its editorial line centred on boldness and a diversity of perspectives, the ACID (Association for the Circulation of Independent Film) section has unveiled the exciting programme of its 33rd edition, which will be shared on the Croisette from 14 to 23 May as part of the 78th Cannes Film Festival. The nine films selected consist of six fiction features and three documentaries.

At the top of the list shines L’Aventura by French filmmaker Sophie Letourneur, a film shot in Sardinia and starring, amongst others, the director herself and Philippe Katerine. This is Letourneur’s sixth feature after Chicks - Life at the Ranch (in competition in Rotterdam in 2010), Les Coquillettes (out of competition in Locarno in 2012), Gaby Baby Doll (2014) and two films that screened in the Big Screen competition in Rotterdam: Enormous and Voyages en Italie.

Also in the programme are two second features: Night Passengers by Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Cabeleira (revealed in Locarno’s Cineasti del Presente competition in 2017 with Damned Summer) and The Black Snake by French director Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux (news), 2021 Louis Delluc Best Debut Film winner for Towards the Battle.

In the fiction department, three other films also stand out, including Drifting Laurent by French trio Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture and Mattéo Eustachon (article), noticed for Dying in Ibiza (A Film in Three Summers), a compilation of short films that won multiple awards at the 2022 FIDMarseille. Also taking part are A Light That Never Goes Out, the debut feature by Finnish filmmaker Lauri-Matti Parppei and Drunken Noodles by New York-based Argentinian filmmaker Lucio Castro (the third feature of the filmmaker noticed in 2019 for End of the Century and selected this year in the Special section at the Berlinale with After This Death).

The programme is completed by three documentaries: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by versatile Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi (appreciated in Toronto in 2014 with Red Rose and in the 2023 Berlin Panorama section with the animated film The Siren), Life After Siham by French-Egyptian filmmaker Namir Abdel Messeeh (who in 2012 went through the Panorama section, the TRIBECA competition and the ACID competition in Cannes with The Virgin, the Copts and me) and Obscure Night - “Ain’t I a Child?” by French filmmaker Sylvain George (which just had its world premiere in International Competition at Visions du Réel).

The 2025 selection:

ACID

L’Aventura - Sophie Letourneur (France) (opening film)
Drifting Laurent - Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture and Mattéo Eustachon (France)
Night Passengers - Pedro Cabeleira (Portugal/France)
Drunken Noodles - Lucio Castro (USA/Argentina)
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk - Sepideh Farsi (France/Palestine/Iran)
Obscure Night – "Ain’t I a Child?" - Sylvain George (France/Switzerland/Portugal)
Life After Siham - Namir Abdel Messeeh (France/Egypt)
A Light That Never Goes Out - Lauri-Matti Parppei (Finland/Norway)
The Black Snake - Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux (France/Brazil/Colombia)