The organizers of the Cannes Film Festival have officially unveiled the short film competition and La Cinef selections for its 79th edition, highlighting emerging talent and global storytelling.
Short Films Competition
A total of 10 short films have been selected from 3,184 submissions, representing productions and co-productions from 136 countries. Each film runs approximately 14–15 minutes and will compete for the prestigious Short Film Palme d’Or, set to be awarded on May 23 during the festival’s closing ceremony.
The selected films include:
- Fresh Cut by Hadrien Bels
- The Last Spring by Mathilde Bedouet
- Sisters’ Swim by Lola Degove
- The End by Niki Lindroth von Bahr
- Para los Contrincantes (For the Opponents) by Federico Luis
- Peloton Trueno (Thunder Platoon) by Theo Montoya
- Giấc Mơ Là Ốc Sên (The Dream is a Snail) by Thien An Nguyen
- Algumas Coisas Que Acontecem ao Lado de um Rio (A Few Things Happening by a River) by Daniel Soares
- Spiritus Sanctus by Michal Toczek
- Niko Ništa Nije Rekao (Nobody Said Anything) by Tamara Todorović
La Cinef Selection
For its 29th edition, La Cinef—dedicated to student films—has selected 19 works (14 live-action and 5 animated) from 2,750 submissions by film schools worldwide. The films represent 15 countries across four continents and are directed by 12 women and 9 men.
Notably, two institutions—Hongik University (South Korea) and ISAMM (Tunisia)—are included for the first time.
The La Cinef awards ceremony will take place on May 21 at the Buñuel Theatre, followed by screenings of the winning films.
Selected entries include:
- Laser-Gato (Laser-Cat) by Lucas Acher (NYU, USA)
- Pickled by Fanny Capu (NFTS, UK)
- Bird Rhapsody by Wonjung Choi (Hongik University, South Korea)
- Somewhere I Belong by Youssef Handouse (ISAMM, Tunisia)
- Silent Voices by Nadine Misong Jin (Columbia University, USA)
- Aldrig Nok (Never Enough) by Julius Lagoutte Larsen (La Fémis, France)
- Shadows of the Moonless Nights by Mehar Malhotra (FTII, India)
- Will It Rain Again Today by Wong Chau-Hong (Nihon University, Japan)
The announcement reinforces Cannes’ ongoing commitment to spotlighting new voices in cinema, offering a global platform for both established short filmmakers and emerging student directors.
By Cem Kaplan