“Cinéma de Demain” encompasses all the many different initiatives the Festival has sparked over the years to support film-making and foster a love of cinema around the world. In a continuation of its long-standing tradition of revealing fresh talent and supporting the film industry, the Festival is ploughing its expertise underpinned by four core priorities.
“Revealing” is the Festival’s primary aim — so much so that it was made the very first article in the Festival rules back in 1946!
Each year, the Festival’s various selection committees comb through international films looking for promising directors who deserve their place in the spotlight.
To do so, they draw on three long-standing platforms that have traditionally been given over to discovering new talent.
Inventive, free-form, full of talent and freed from constraints, shorts embody the values that Cannes has always supported. Every year, this art form is represented in Official Selection by a Jury and a dozen films competing for the Short Film Palme d’or.
Every year since 1998, over 2,000 films from film schools around the world are entered into this branch of the Official Selection aimed at talent-spotting up-and-coming directors. A total of 15 to 20 short and medium-length films are nominated and submitted for the CINEF Jury’s appreciation: the same Jury tasked with awarding prizes to the three best short films in Competition.
Another springboard for creativity is the Caméra d’or. Launched in 1978, this is the official prize awarded during the Festival’s Awards evening. Its Jury awards a prize to the best film across all categories: the Official Selection, the Directors’ Fortnight, and La Semaine de la Critique.
Cinéma de Demain supports young directors in reaching their goals, from screenwriting to finding funding, and gaining international exposure.
The scheme does so through its Résidence writing residence in Paris and a series of Creative Programs, highlighting projects in development during the Short Film Corner | Rendez-vous Industry (also referred as “SFC | Rendez-vous Industry”), a forum dedicated to the short film format and their markers.
Every year, The Résidence hosts a dozen young filmmakers working on their first or second fiction feature film.
Each session is an intense creative experience that combines alone time and group work, backed by personalized support in writing their screenplay and group sessions with film industry professionals.
The SFC | RENDEZ-VOUS INDUSTRY is a forum dedicated to short film professionals. As a non-competitive section, its aim is to help create bonds between the filmmakers and the industry.
In particular, it supports and shines a light on inspiring & inventive filmmakers thanks to the Creative Programs that enhance creation in all its forms. The Focus WiP seeks to support short films that are works-in-progress, the Focus SCRIPT homes in on scripts in development, and the Focus COPRO is dedicated to first feature films.
The Festival de Cannes is first and foremost buoyed by an unconditional love of film and spurred on by a sense of curiosity and wonderment. Over the years, it has emerged as a leading name in setting the tone for the industry, which empowers it to leverage the Cinéma de Demain to inspire as many people as possible and trigger passion: sparking a love of film, sharing experiences, running workshops and conferences, and more. A jam-packed programme aimed at audiences and budding professionals.
three-day immersive sessions at the beating heart of the event for film enthusiasts aged 18 to 28, giving them access to the Official Selection (Competition, Out of Competition, Special Screenings, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Classics, Cinéma de la Plage) and the events at the Palais des Festivals.
The SFC | RENDEZ-VOUS INDUSTRY, stimulates discussions around Cinema & Short Films, and fosters interactions between international professionals.
During 4 days, a vibrant line-up: Masterclasses, Industry Panels, Directors’ Talks to get inspired by the various visions of today’s Cinema. Workshops, Meetings, Keynotes and Tutoring Sessions leave the floor to discussions tackling major topics such as distribution or co-production.
Revealing, Supporting and Sharing… The final Festival de Cannes scheme for supporting fledgling talent aims to foster networking for the many professionals from around the world who flock to the event.
Drawing in around 30,000 accredited participants every year — 12,500 of whom attend the Marché du Film — each edition is packed full of opportunities for all film industry specialists to widen their network.
Cinéma de Demain harnesses this energy by ensuring that each of its initiatives leads to potential partnerships that better serve (co)production, distribution, rights and profile-raising for short films and début feature films in the industry.
From 2005 to 2022, The Atelier invited fifteen-odd directors and their producers to Cannes to help them lock down funding for their film project through meetings scheduled with other professionals. In 2023, the Atelier takes a break to re-think its operations.
Taking place during the SFC | Rendez-vous Industry, the Breakfasts and Happy-Hours are two unmissable events for the filmmakers to talk about their projects and get together with the key industry decision-makers. To facilitate interactions, the Decision Makers page highlights the profile of these international professionals taking part into the program in Cannes, and eager to foster new talents.
Initiated in 2022, the New Producers Room gives space to young short film producers. Centered around co-production, this initiative gathers around 10 up-and-coming producers who already produced at least two short films.
The SFC | Rendez-vous Industry Market Catalogue presents creative and promising shorts in a non-competitive section. Worldwide panorama of cinematographic talent, it is curated with great care and elaborated in line with the expectations of festival programmers, distributors, producers & buyers attending Cannes.