Meet Harry Lighton and Five Other Rising Filmmakers in Cannes La Résidence Program

Harry Lighton Selected for La Résidence at Cannes Film Festival

UK director Harry Lighton, known for his impactful debut feature Pillion, has been chosen as one of six emerging filmmakers for the 51st session of La Résidence, a prestigious program associated with the Cannes Film Festival. The program will run from March 16 to July 31, 2026.

Lighton is set to join fellow filmmakers Emma Branderhorst, Joecar Hanna, Saulé Bliuvaité, Mansi Maheshwari, and Oliver McGoldrick in this year’s cohort.

"Getting a spot in La Résidence is beyond exciting. Other filmmakers I know who’ve done it rave about it. It means I can block out five months to knuckle down to writing my next script and getting to do that in Paris… are you kidding me?! Magnifique. I hope to come away with a script, some new filmmaker pals, and a Parisian husband,” Lighton expressed in a statement announcing the participants.

Lighton’s Pillion, featuring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, garnered significant attention when it premiered in the Cannes Un Certain Regard section last year, winning the award for Best Screenplay. The film has continued to enjoy both critical acclaim and commercial success, claiming the title of Best British Independent Film at the BIFAs and earning three BAFTA nominations. His earlier short film, Wren Boys, was also nominated for Best British Short Film at the 2018 BAFTAs.

Branderhorst, an Amsterdam-based filmmaker, is recognized for her intimate, character-driven stories that examine social dynamics through a female lens. Her short films, including Under the Skin and Spotless, have been featured at the Berlinale, with Spotless winning a Crystal Bear in 2022. In addition to her fiction work, she directed the award-winning short Piece of Me and is developing her debut feature, This Will Not End Well.

Hanna, a Spanish filmmaker of Chinese and Lebanese descent, has a background in professional editing before studying at NYU’s Grad Film program. His short film Deliver Me premiered at SXSW 2023, while his second short, Talk Me, executive produced by Spike Lee, debuted at Cannes in 2025 and won Best Short at TIFF.

Bliuvaitė, hailing from Lithuania, made her mark with her debut feature Toxic, which premiered in the International Competition at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival and won the Golden Leopard. The film has been showcased at around 100 festivals globally and has received several international accolades.

Maheshwari, an Indian animation director, combines humor with emotionally grounded storytelling, having begun her career in fashion before earning an MA in Animation Direction. Her graduation short film, Bunnyhood, premiered at Cannes and achieved recognition at Sundance and Clermont-Ferrand.

McGoldrick is an Irish filmmaker who balances a career as a medical doctor with his film pursuits. His past short, Three Keenings, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2024 and secured multiple festival accolades. He is currently working on his next short, Melter, and developing his debut feature, Barnyard.

Under the La Résidence program, participants reside together in Paris, engaging in a personalized screenwriting curriculum and a series of meetings with industry professionals. Each year, the program accommodates 12 emerging filmmakers in two separate sessions, aimed at fostering their development toward writing their first or second feature film.

Since its inception, La Résidence has supported more than 250 filmmakers from roughly 60 countries, including notable figures such as Lucrecia Martel from Argentina and Nadine Labaki from Lebanon.