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Next Step 2026
Since 2014, La Semaine de la Critique has been supporting talented short-film directors in making their first feature film through its Next Step programme, designed for filmmakers who have previously presented a short film at La Semaine de la Critique. After presenting their short film in Cannes, they are invited to come to Paris in December to take part in a workshop. Over the course of a week, international consultants will advise them on their script, their film score, and on how to launch their film on the market. It is also an opportunity to explore potential collaborations with French co-producers, sales agents, and distributors during professional meetings in Paris. Since 2022, the collaboration with the Morelia Film Festival has been strengthened by welcoming a Mexican filmmaker to the Next Step programme. During the 2025 edition, a new partnership has been inaugurated with Projeto Paradiso, featuring the invitation of a Brazilian project.
In 12 years, 106 directors from 41 countries have benefitted from the Next Step support programme. We are delighted to see that, so far, 45 features have been made, the latest ones being CHICAS TRISTES by Fernanda Tovar, presented at the Berlinale 2026, AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY by Morad Mostafa (Un Certain Regard 2025), THE VISITOR by Vytautas KATKUS (Best Director Award at Karlovy Vary 2025), DON’T LET ME DIE by Andrei Epure (Locarno 2025), GORGONÀ by Evi Kalogiropoulou (Settimana Internazionale della Critica 2025), FORASTERA by Lucía Aleñar Iglesias (Fipresci Prize at Toronto IFF 2025) and ARO BERRIA by Irati Gorostidi Agirretxe (San Sebastian 2025).
2026 will see the premiere at Semaine de la Critique of Chinese filmmaker ZOU Jing’s first feature film, A GIRL UNKNOWN, which also won the 2024 Next Step Prize. ZOU Jing had previously won the Leitz Discovery Award for short film in 2021 for DUO LI. The 2026 Berlinale hosted the premiere of another Next Step project: CHICAS TRISTES by Mexican filmmaker Fernanda TOVAR, whose short film was presented in 2022 at Semaine de la Critique. Six other feature films will premiere in 2026: IF I SEE A RAINBOW by Hao ZHAO, TITANIC OCEAN by Konstantina KOTZAMANI, A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JO: CHAPTER PHAEDRA by Jacqueline LENTZOU, RIA by Arvin BELARMINO, KA by Pedro PERALTA, and FAUX GUN BANDIT by Rémi ST-MICHEL. Finally, seven new feature films will go into production in 2026–2027
This year, SOONER joins forces with Next Step to present the Next Step SOONER Prize - which includes a 2,500€ prize and an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival for the director with the most promising feature film project. In 2025, the Next Step Prize was presented to ethiopian filmmaker Beza Hailu Lemma for his project THE LAST TEARS OF THE DECEASED. In recent years, the winners have been: HOW TO HAVE SEX by Molly Manning Walker - Un Certain Regard Award 2023 - and THE WOODCUTTER STORY by Mikko Myllalathi, selected at La Semaine de la Critique in 2022 and A GIRL UNKNOWN by ZOU Jing, selected at La Semaine de la Critique this year.
This year’s jury members are Carole Scotta, founder of Haut et Court ; Rebecca De Pas, film programmer and curator, notably at the Fondazione Prada Film Fund and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. ; Fiorella Moretti, founder and CEO at Luxbox ; Alexandre Hautecoeur, head of marketing at SOONER. The winner will be announced in May at the Cannes Film Festival.
With the support of CNC, SACEM, and SACD.
Next Step II
A second workshop dedicated to scriptwriting and music composition
The 2026 edition of Next Step II will be held in October in Corsica, with the support of SACEM. This second - purposefully hybrid - workshop is an opportunity for 7 international filmmakers and 3 composers to meet around the critical stage of rewriting the script. The residents spend a week in the company of consultants and experts and are encouraged to envision the sound design and music as an integral part of the script.
Next Step Studio
Launched in 2026, in partnership with DW, the Next Step Studio programme will take place each year in a different country and will highlight local cinematography, bringing together eight emerging directors – four local and four international – to co-write and co-direct four 15-minute short films, which will then be screened during La Semaine de la Critique. In 2026, Indonesia will be in the spotlight, in partnership with KawanKawan Media.
Critique & Création
Created in 2023, the Critique & Création Fund is an initiative supporting public-interest actions led by the French Union of Film Critics.It is designed to welcome patrons and donors who wish to foster and promote critical thinking among younger generations, and support emerging talents in world cinema.