To submit a feature film, it must be the director’s 1st or 2nd feature film. As for short films, all films are accepted, even beyond the director’s 2nd film. We accept fiction and documentaries. All films must be international premieres.
For the 2020 edition, Charles Tesson, the artistic director will be in the company of selection committees for short and feature films, composed of critics and journalists members of the French Union of Film Critics. The feature film committee is made of Danielle Attali, Clémentine Dramani-Issifou (Frenchmania), Pauline Mallet (Sorociné) and Olivier Pélisson (Bande à Part). The short film committee, as always, lead by Léo Soesanto (Libération), is composed of William Le Personnic (Positif), Marie-Pauline Mollaret (Écran Noir) and Nanako Tsukidate (Nobody Magazine). Rémi Bonhomme, Program Manager, Hélène Auclaire, Head of the Film Department and Rémi Bigot, in charge of short films, follow up on current productions and relations between professionals.
Previous film selections from La Semaine de la Critique have played a major part in bringing to public attention the first films of Jérémy Clapin (I LOST MY BODY | 2019 Nespresso Grand Prize), Julia Ducournau (RAW), Hubert Charuel (BLOODY MILK), César Augusto Acevedo (LAND AND SHADE | Caméra d’or) or Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt (DIAMANTINO | 2018 Nespresso Grand Prize) and second films from Oliver Laxe (MIMOSAS | 2016 Nespresso Grand Prize) or Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa (GABRIEL E A MONTANHA | 2017 France 4 Visionary Award and Gan Foundation Gan Award for Distribution).
When it comes to short films, having their work selected at La Semaine de la Critique gives directors the opportunity to not only show their films in Cannes, but also to take part in December in the Next Step programme. During the week-long workshop, the filmmakers benefit from professional support in the development of their feature films :