Cannes Critics’ Week Highlights 10 New Filmmakers Chosen for Next Step Program
Cannes Critics’ Week has announced the ten filmmakers selected for the 12th edition of its Next Step program, aimed at supporting the debut feature films of directors who previously showcased their short films in the section dedicated to emerging talents.
Among the participants is Róisín Burns, a France-based Irish-British filmmaker. Her short film Wonderwall was featured in the Cannes parallel section earlier this year. Burns’s upcoming project is set in her hometown of Liverpool and tells the story of a 17-year-old soldier who deserts his post during the Iraq War.
Also participating is Estonian director Anna Hints, whose documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood won a directing award at Sundance and became Estonia’s first recipient of a European Film Award. The film also represented Estonia at the 96th Academy Awards. Hints will present her first solo fiction feature, Black Hairy Beast, which explores the challenges faced by an Indian dancer and his partner against the backdrop of Estonian folklore and culture.
The workshop will take place from December 6 to 12, beginning at the Moulin d’Andé artists’ residence in Normandy. Participants will receive guidance from international consultants on their screenplays and engage in discussions with composers about the musical elements for their films.
Following the workshop, the group will travel to Paris for a day of meetings with French industry professionals, allowing them to present their projects and establish connections for future collaborations.
One of the ten filmmakers will also be awarded a residency at Moulin d’Andé–CÉCI along with the Next Step Prize, which includes a monetary award of €2,500 and an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival.
Since its inception in 2014, the Next Step program has welcomed 97 filmmakers from 39 countries, resulting in 38 feature films that have premiered at major festivals. Recent notable works include Aisha Can’t Fly Away by Morad Mostafa, which was screened in Un Certain Regard 2025, and The Visitor by Vytautas Katkus, recipient of the Best Director Award at Karlovy Vary.
Full List of Projects Selected for the 12th Edition
Happy Hardcore
Dir. Róisín Burns
Synopsis: Liverpool, 2004. Sean, 17, deserts his post in the midst of the Iraq war and returns to England. On the run, he finds his sister—the person dearest to him. Hunted by the army, he is forced to hide in a tunnel. Days go by. Soon, the violence and loneliness he tried to escape catch up with him.
Nabor
Dir. Marinthia Gutiérrez (Mexico)
Synopsis: Tijuana, late 50s; young Martha Elba discovers love, shame, and family secrets in a home plagued by jealousy and her father’s nights in cabarets. Amid the turmoil of teenage desires, she witnesses her parents’ relationship slowly disintegrate. Her gaze becomes that of a generation awakening, witnessing the end of innocence and the birth of doubt.
Black Hairy Beast
Dir. Anna Hints (Estonia)
Synopsis: During a folklore festival in Estonia, Mahesh, an Indian dancer, and Liis, a local journalist, fall madly in love. As Mahesh seeks his place in a new country, he begins to awaken a cursed mythological creature within. Their relationship is challenged by societal expectations and their own instincts.
Story of August
Dir. Robert-Jonathan Koeyers (Netherlands)
Synopsis: Over three summers, after her parents’ divorce, August spends her holidays with her father in a seaside town. As time passes, she discovers the cracks within her family, while also seeking her own identity. She learns to confront the emotional baggage they’ve left her and aim to break the cycle of trauma.
Erika
Dir. Marie Larrivé (France)
Synopsis: Brittany, 1999. Sylvia, 68, a retired computer engineer, is gravely ill. She has entrusted her life to Dr. Dubois, rumored to have discovered a miracle cure for cancer. As a powerful storm approaches, Sylvia begins to question his methods.
l’Expérience Impossible
Dir. Carmen Leroi
Synopsis: Théo is passionately in love with Eve, who is twenty years his senior. When Eve falls gravely ill, Théo wishes he could have met her earlier. A peculiar doctor intervenes, sending him back to 2004, where he lives in an alternate version of himself.
Fantasma Neon
Dir. Leonardo Martinelli (Brazil)
Synopsis: In Rio de Janeiro, João, a bicycle delivery worker, dreams of owning a motorbike to improve his family’s life. After an accident at work triggers staff protests, his ideals of merit and solidarity are challenged. Caught between ambition and loyalty, João comes to understand the true cost of his dreams in a city where music signifies resistance.
Saturday in Copacabana
Dir. Bruno Ribeiro (Brazil)
Synopsis: A thirty-something pianist encounters an old flame during a night out in Copacabana, just as a significant life change looms. The lively streets and memories stir emotions long thought forgotten. At dawn, she must decide between the comfort of her present life and the allure of her unfinished past.
Pray to the Thunder
Dir. Ananth Subramaniam (Malaysia)
Synopsis: In a Tamil town controlled by an authoritarian priest, Thunder, a rebellious young woman, channels her anger through performances with her punk band. Their music stirs the youth and provokes the ire of traditionalists, igniting a confrontation between modernity and superstition. As tensions escalate, Thunder uncovers a mystical power that threatens the fragile balance.
Ladrones de Cuadros
Dir. Juan Pablo Villalobos (Mexico)
Synopsis: After witnessing a murder, Arcadio, a disenchanted painter turned delivery man in Mexico City, narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. He seeks refuge at his grandmother’s home in Oaxaca. As he settles into village life, he befriends a mysterious Finnish art conservator while claiming some of his grandmother’s paintings as his own—until the killer finally tracks him down.
