Cannes announced its selections for the Short Films Competition and Cinéfondation category today, and 33 percent of the shorts and 44 percent of the Cinéfondation films are directed by women. Three of the nine shorts and seven of the 16 Cinéfondation picks are women-helmed.
Frankly, we’re pretty excited —this is a heartening development considering Cannes’ history of excluding female directors’ projects. And it could be a good sign for the Main Competition.
According to the fest, the Short Films Competition received 4,843 submissions before choosing its nine finalists, one of whom will win the Short Film Palme d’or May 28.
Lucrèce Andreae’s beach-set animated project “Pépé le Morse” is set to screen in the Short Films Competition along with Fiona Godivier’s “Across My Land,” a portrait of a father and son patrolling the Mexico/U.S. border, and Julia Thelin’s “Push It,” which depicts a competition between a man and a woman at the gym.
The Cinéfondation Selection received 2,600 submissions from film school students around the globe before deciding on its 16 finalists. The program includes Payal Kapadia’s “Afternoon Clouds,” an exploration of the relationship between a Bombay widow and her Nepali maid, and Imge Özbilge’s “Camouflage,” which depicts Turkey’s current political climate using animation.
Three Cinéfondation prizes will be awarded May 26 at the Buñuel Theatre followed by screenings of the winning films.
Last year saw Cinéfondation awards go to Israeli director Or Sinai and Hungary’s Nadja Andrasev. Sinai won First Prize for “Anna,” and Andrasev tied for Third Prize with the memorably titled “The Noise of Licking.”
Cannes runs from May 17–28. Check out all of the women-directed shorts and Cinéfondation titles below. List adapted from Cannes.
THE SHORT FILMS COMPETITION 2017
Lucrèce ANDREAE
PÉPÉ LE MORSE (Grandpa Walrus) — animation
France
14 minutes
Fiona GODIVIER
ACROSS MY LAND
USA
15 minutes
Julia THELIN
PUSH IT
Sweden
8 minutes
THE CINÉFONDATION SELECTION 2017
Aya IGASHI
TOKERU
Toho Gakuen Film Techniques Training College
Japan
45 minutes
Payal KAPADIA
AFTERNOON CLOUDS
Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
India
13 minutes
Léa KRAWCZYK
À PERDRE HALEINE
La Poudrière
France
4 minutes
Marian MATHIAS
GIVE UP THE GHOST
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
USA
13 minutes
Valentina MAUREL
PAUL EST LÀ (Paul is Here)
INSAS
Belgium
24 minutes
Imge ÖZBILGE
CAMOUFLAGE
KASK
Belgium
6 minutes
WANG Yi-Ling
YIN SHIAN BIEN JIAN GON LU (Towards the Sun)
National Taiwan University of Arts
Taiwan
28 minutes
