The 78th Cannes film Festival has officially announced its Jury and selections for the Short Films Competition and La Cinef, the festival’s prestigious student film program. Renowned German director, screenwriter, and producer Maren Ade will preside over the jury, joined by a distinguished international panel of creatives: American filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green, French actress and singer Camélia Jordana, Spanish producer and former Filmoteca Española director José María Prado, and Croatian director Nebojša Slijepčević.
Together, the jury will award the coveted Short Film Palme d’Or and three prizes in La Cinef, a section dedicated to spotlighting emerging talent from film schools around the globe.
Short Films Competition
From a staggering 4,781 submissions, 11 short films have been selected — including 9 fiction and 2 animated works, with five directed by women. These films will compete for the Short Film Palme d’Or, to be awarded during the festival’s closing ceremony on Saturday, May 24.
Selected short films include:
- Arguments in Favor of Love by Gabriel Abrantes
- Ali by Adnan Al Rajeev
- I’m Glad You’re Dead Now by Tawfeek Barhom
- Agapito by Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Danelle Romero
- Fille de l’eau by Sandra Desmazières
- Hypersensitive by Martine Froissard
- Dammen by Grégoire Graesslin
- The Spectacle by Bálint Kenyérès
- Nvhai (Lili) by Zhaoguang Luo & Shuhan Liao
- The Loneliness of Lizards by Inês Nunes
- Aasvoëls (Vultures) by Dian Weys
La Cinef Selection
La Cinef has selected 16 short films (13 live-action and 3 animated), drawn from 2,700 submissions by film schools worldwide. This year introduces first-time participants from Portugal’s Escola das Artes, Denmark’s Super16, and Estonia’s Estonian Academy of Arts — the latter marking Estonia’s debut in the competition.
Highlights from the La Cinef lineup include:
- The Bird from Within by Laura Anahory (Portugal)
- The Sorceress Echo by Marc Camardons (Spain)
- Maybe in March by Mikkel Bjørn Kehlert (Denmark)
- Winter in March by Natalia Mirzoyan (Estonia)
- Ginger Boy (Separated) by Miki Tanaka (Japan)
- A Doll Made Up of Clay by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay (India)
The winners of La Cinef will be announced during a special ceremony on Thursday, May 22, at the Buñuel Theatre, followed by a screening of the awarded films.
This year’s selections reaffirm Cannes’ commitment to discovering new voices and showcasing diverse perspectives from across the world.