Structured into two sessions, each running for four-and-a-half months, the Résidence is a screenwriting residence in Paris for young non-French filmmakers working on their first or second fiction feature film.
Registration for the 50th session, to be held from October 1, 2025 to February 15, 2026, is open until April 30, 2025.
Before submitting your subscription demand to the Résidence, please read the entire rules and regulations information provided below.
All demands shall be made on the “My Account” website:
ARTICLE 1
The Festival’s Résidence is open to young filmmakers who have made one or several short films, and no more than one feature film. Candidates must not be residents or citizens of France. There are two Résidence sessions every year, with each lasting four and a half months. The first session begins on 15 March and ends on 31 July. The second begins on 1 October and ends on 15 February.
The filmmakers selected for the programme undertake to stay at the Résidence in Paris for the duration of the session.
ARTICLE 2
The candidate’s short films or first feature film must have been selected for a Category A festival (such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Busan, San Sebastian, Lugano, Rotterdam, Sundance or Clermont-Ferrand). No exceptions will be made.
ARTICLE 3
To apply, candidates must submit a treatment pack for their first or second feature film. Treatment packs for co-directed or co-written films are eligible, however if the application is successful, only one person from the team will be invited to join the programme. The individual in question must be chosen upon registering.
ARTICLE 4
Candidates must be aged under 35 on the first day of each session (15 March and 1 October) and must not have applied to the Résidence more than three times. Candidates must also be capable of expressing themselves in fluent English or French.
ARTICLE 5
The Résidence is an equal opportunities scheme, with three male and three female directors selected for each session.
ARTICLE 6
To submit a treatment pack, candidates must complete the online registration form and upload the following documents:
ARTICLE 7
The Festival de Cannes assesses all applications and watches the films it receives. The team assesses candidates based on the film-making potential gleaned from the films they have already made, on the quality of their upcoming film treatment, and on their motivations for applying to the Résidence scheme.
ARTICLE 8
Should a candidate be offered a place on the scheme but be unable to take it up, they may be replaced by the Festival.
ARTICLE 9
The Festival de Cannes reserves the possibility, on an exceptional basis, of selecting filmmakers and projects that derogate from some of the criteria defined in these rules.
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