“A debut film is a dizzying experience, a defining moment when the soul seeks its form in images. It is a second birth — the awakening of the artist within. An act of truth, it exposes our fragility. And the more the film reveals itself to the world, the more power it gains. It is the rare freedom of being fully oneself.”
Monia Chokri, President of the Caméra d’Or
This freedom seems to be a cardinal value in her work, going hand in hand with extravagance. Xavier Dolan also notes her “intolerance for mediocrity.” The Quebec artist thus writes, films, and portrays characters whose imperfections challenge our relationship with society, revealing an intimacy rarely seen on screen.
With a highly contemporary and deconstructed approach to universal themes, her films delight in shifting tones, summoning in just a few scenes a variety of registers—sentimental, comic and sensual. Resolutely pop art, driven by a flawless soundtracks and dynamic editing, Monia Chokri’s films seem infused with modernity and their dialogue cuts through the wind of life.
The four films she has directed are a testament to all of this. Monia Chokri stepped behind the camera in 2013 for her first short film, the disillusioned yet hilarious An Extraordinary Person starring Anne Dorval, which won numerous awards worldwide. After two caustic, energetic feature films —A Brother’s Love (Coup de coeur du Jury, Un Certain Regard 2019), exploring family ties and the pressures weighing on women, and Babysitter (2022) on domination and contemporary misogyny—her third feature film, The Nature of Love, definitively established Monia Chokri as a leading director of her generation.
Presented in the Un Certain Regard section in 2023, the film won the César Award for Best Foreign Film the following year. In this delicate romance, with its polished 1970s aesthetics, the Quebec filmmaker offers a thoughtful reflection on romantic love, relationships, and the surrounding social environment. She moves in an intellectual, affluent circle, where snobbery quickly becomes grotesque, while he comes from a modest, less educated family, some might mock as vulgar. Setting aside all opportunistic cynicism, Monia Chokri hits the mark by scrutinizing class relations both rigorously and kindly. And her presentation on the stage of the Salle Debussy remains legendary.
The fact that she has established herself as a director should not make us forget that she is also an actress. Notable films include Xavier Dolan’s Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways, as well as Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Love Me Tender (Un Certain Regard 2010, 2012, and 2025).
Her latest role will bring her back to the screens of the Palais des Festivals this year in Géraldine Nakache’s new film, Think Good, to be presented in Cannes’ Première section.
Monia Chokri will be joined by four members selected from the associations that make up the Caméra d’Or jury each year: the French Association of Cinematographers, the French Union of Film Critics, the Society of Film Directors, and the Federation of the Film, Audiovisual, and Multimedia Industries.
THE CAMÉRA D’OR JURY OF THE 79TH FESTIVAL DE CANNES
Monia CHOKRI
Actress, director & screenwriter – Canada
Michel BENJAMIN (AFC)
Director of Photography – France
Cédric COPPOLA (SFCC)
Film Critic – France
Marine FRANCEN (SRF)
Director & screenwriter – France
Christophe MASSIE (FICAM)
Deputy CEO of Eclair by Netgem – France
