Overview
Critics' Week (Semaine de la Critique) is the oldest parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival, founded in 1962 by the French Union of Film Critics (Syndicat Francais de la Critique de Cinema). The 65th edition runs May 13 to 21, 2026, alongside the main Cannes festival. Critics' Week is dedicated exclusively to first and second feature films and short films from emerging directors, making it one of the most selective discovery platforms in the world.
The section selects approximately seven feature films and a handful of short films each year. A Critics' Week selection signals recognition from critics who are specifically seeking the most exceptional debut talent globally. Directors whose careers began with a Critics' Week selection include Abbas Kiarostami, Nanni Moretti, and many others who have become major figures in world cinema.
The 64th edition (May 2025) awarded the AMI Paris Grand Prize to A Useful Ghost (dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Thailand/France/Singapore/Germany). The jury was chaired by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Artistic director Ava Cahen leads the section alongside feature and short film selection committees made up of critics and journalists from the French Union of Film Critics.
Submission Details
Submissions are made through the Semaine de la Critique website. The submission portal opens in late November each year.
Feature film submissions (2026 edition):
- Submission window: November 24, 2025 to March 13, 2026 (midnight Paris time)
- Registration fee: 150 EUR (excluding VAT; 20% VAT applies for EU-based companies without an intra-community VAT number, French companies, and private individuals)
- Payment by debit card only (Visa, Mastercard, or any debit card; American Express not accepted)
- Fees are non-refundable
Short film submissions (2026 edition):
- Submission window: November 24, 2025 to March 13, 2026 (midnight Paris time)
- Registration fee: 35 EUR (excluding VAT; same VAT rules apply)
- Short films must be uploaded during the submission process (no external links accepted)
- Maximum duration: 59 minutes
Feature film eligibility:
- Must be the director's first or second feature film
- First feature: a film over 59 minutes from a director who has never directed a full-length film before (over 59 minutes) that has been theatrically released, released on a platform, or selected in an international festival
- Second feature: a film over 59 minutes from a director who has previously only directed one full-length film
- Must have been completed within the 12 months prior to the festival (between May 2025 and Cannes 2026)
- For foreign films: must not have participated in any festival outside its country of origin (whether in or out of competition) or film event (excluding film markets)
- For French films: must not have participated in any festival or film event anywhere in the world, including France (excluding film markets)
- Must not have been shown on the internet, broadcast on TV, or commercially released, including in its country of origin
Short film eligibility:
- Must have been completed within the 12 months prior to the festival
- For foreign shorts: must not have participated in any festival outside its country of origin
- For French shorts: must not have participated in any festival anywhere in the world, including France
- Must not have been shown on the internet, broadcast on TV, or commercially released
- No restrictions based on the number of short films previously made by the director
Key Sections
- Feature Film Competition - approximately seven first or second feature films in official competition
- Short Film Competition - selected short films screened before features
- Special Screenings - additional films outside the competition, selected by invitation
- Camera d'Or eligibility - all Critics' Week debut features compete for the Camera d'Or, the prize for best first feature across all Cannes sections
What Filmmakers Should Know
Critics' Week does not accept open submissions in the conventional sense for its competition programming. While the official submission portal is open, the programming team actively searches for the most exceptional first and second features through the global festival circuit, relationships with sales agents, and independent outreach. Submitting through the portal is required, but selection typically follows from the programming team's active discovery process rather than from unsolicited submissions alone.
The premiere requirement is the most restrictive of any Cannes section. For foreign films, the film must not have played at any festival outside its country of origin before Critics' Week. For French films, the film must not have played at any festival anywhere, including France. This means Critics' Week is typically the world premiere for selected films. If your film has already screened at another international festival, it is ineligible.
The combination of a Critics' Week selection and the Cannes context provides debut filmmakers with access to the full range of Cannes benefits: Marche du Film accreditation, international press coverage, and sales agent attention. The section's artistic director Ava Cahen and program manager Thomas Rosso maintain relationships with international sales agents and festival programmers, which helps selected films secure distribution.
Feature films can be submitted via online link or downloaded on the Semaine de la Critique platform during registration. Short films must be uploaded directly during the submission process; any short film submitted via another medium (such as a link) will not be considered by the selection committee.
Awards / Accreditation
Critics' Week operates as a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival, which holds FIAPF accreditation. The section itself does not have separate FIAPF status but benefits from the Cannes umbrella. Critics' Week is not independently an Academy Award-qualifying festival, but its Cannes context provides films with access to the Marche du Film and international press.
Prizes awarded by the Critics' Week Jury:
- AMI Paris Grand Prize - Best Film in the feature competition
- French Touch Prize of the Jury
- Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award - honoring an actor or actress
- Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film - Best Short Film
Partner-awarded prizes:
- SACD Award - for best screenplay (French-language work)
- Gan Foundation Award for Distribution - supporting the film's international distribution
- Canal+ Award for Short Film
Cannes-wide prize:
- Camera d'Or - Best First Feature across all Cannes sections (Critics' Week films compete alongside films from Official Competition, Un Certain Regard, and Directors' Fortnight)
Past Winners
2026 (65th edition):
- AMI Paris Grand Prize: La Gradiva (dir. Marine Atlan, France/Italy) - a debut feature following French teenagers on a school trip to Pompeii. Produced by Les Films du Poisson, with international sales by mk2 Films. North American distribution rights acquired by 1-2 Special. Nominated for the Camera d'Or and Queer Palm. The jury was chaired by Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia (Grand Prix winner at Cannes 2024 for All We Imagine as Light). The film will be theatrically released in France by Tandem on November 4, 2026.
- Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award: Aina Clotet for Viva (Alive) (Spain) - Clotet's feature directorial debut, produced by Ikiru Films and Funicular Films. Loco Films handled international sales. A bittersweet comedy about a woman coping with life after a breast cancer diagnosis.
- Gan Foundation Award for Distribution: A Girl Unknown (dir. Zou Jing, China/France) - French distributor Pyramide acquired the film
- SACD Award: Dua (dir. Blerta Basholli, Kosovo/France/Belgium) - a coming-of-age drama set in Kosovo on the eve of the late-1990s war. Basholli's previous film Hive (2021) was Kosovo's first-ever Oscar submission and won three awards at Sundance.
- Canal+ Award for Short Film: Vaterland (dir. Berthold Wahjudi, Germany/Indonesia)
The 65th edition screened 11 features chosen from more than 1,050 submissions, alongside 10 short films. The section opened with Phuong Mai Nguyen's In Waves and closed with Adieu Monde Cruel.
2025 (64th edition):
- AMI Paris Grand Prize: A Useful Ghost (Pee Chai Dai Ka) (dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Thailand/France/Singapore/Germany) - a debut feature about a woman who dies and returns as a ghost possessing a vacuum cleaner. Selected as Thailand's official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Cineverse/Fandor acquired US distribution rights with a January 16, 2026 theatrical release. The jury was chaired by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Critics' Week has one of the strongest alumni track records of any festival section in the world. Its exclusive focus on first and second features means that many of cinema's most important directors passed through this section early in their careers.
Historical alumni:
- Abbas Kiarostami - the Iranian master's early work was championed by Critics' Week before he became a Cannes regular
- Nanni Moretti - the Italian director's debut played in Critics' Week before he won the Palme d'Or
- Rungano Nyoni - I Am Not a Witch (2017) premiered in Critics' Week, won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut, and was selected as the UK's Oscar submission
Recent alumni:
- A Useful Ghost (2025 Grand Prize winner) - Thailand's Oscar submission for 2026, acquired by Cineverse/Fandor for US distribution. The film also screened at the Chicago International Film Festival and was reviewed positively by The Wrap, The Guardian, and other major outlets.
- La Gradiva (2026 Grand Prize winner) - acquired for North American distribution by 1-2 Special, selected for TIFF 2026 and New Horizons Film Festival 2026. MK2 Films handling international sales.
- Dua (2026 SACD Award winner) - directed by Blerta Basholli, whose previous film Hive (2021) won three awards at Sundance and was Kosovo's first Oscar submission.
Critics' Week films benefit from the full Cannes ecosystem: Marche du Film accreditation, international press coverage from hundreds of accredited journalists, and sales agent attention. The section's artistic director Ava Cahen and program manager Thomas Rosso maintain relationships with international sales agents and festival programmers, which helps selected films secure distribution.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
Critics' Week does not accept open submissions in the conventional sense. While the official submission portal is open from late November to mid-March, the programming team actively searches for the most exceptional first and second features through the global festival circuit, relationships with sales agents, and independent outreach. Submitting through the portal is required, but selection typically follows from the programming team's active discovery process rather than from unsolicited submissions alone.
The premiere requirement is the most restrictive of any Cannes section. For foreign films, the film must not have played at any festival outside its country of origin before Critics' Week. For French films, the film must not have played at any festival anywhere, including France. This means Critics' Week is typically the world premiere for selected films. If your film has already screened at another international festival, it is ineligible.
Feature films must be the director's first or second feature. A "first feature" is a film over 59 minutes from a director who has never directed a full-length film before that has been theatrically released, released on a platform, or selected in an international festival. A "second feature" is from a director who has previously only directed one full-length film.
The registration fee is 150 EUR for features and 35 EUR for shorts (excluding VAT). Fees are non-refundable. Payment is by debit card only (Visa, Mastercard, or any debit card; American Express not accepted). Feature films can be submitted via online link or downloaded on the Semaine de la Critique platform. Short films must be uploaded directly during the submission process; any short submitted via a link will not be considered.
Industry Reputation Notes
Critics' Week is regarded as the world's premier discovery platform for emerging directors at Cannes. It competes with Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Cinastes) for the best debut and second features, but Critics' Week has a more focused identity: it exclusively programs first and second features, while Directors' Fortnight has a broader programming mandate.
In industry terms, a Critics' Week selection is considered a strong signal of directorial talent. Sales agents actively track Critics' Week selections, and the section has a track record of producing films that secure international distribution. The combination of Critics' Week selection and Cannes context provides debut filmmakers with access to the Marche du Film, international press coverage, and sales agent attention.
Compared to Directors' Fortnight, Critics' Week is smaller (approximately 7 features vs. approximately 20+ features) but more selective. The Camera d'Or competition, which spans all Cannes sections, gives Critics' Week films an additional prize pathway. In recent years, Critics' Week films have been competitive for the Camera d'Or, though the prize has also gone to films from Official Competition and Un Certain Regard.
For filmmakers, the industry value of a Critics' Week selection is substantial: it provides Cannes accreditation, international press, and sales agent access at a fraction of the cost of a market badge. However, the premiere restrictions are so tight that most filmmakers cannot plan for Critics' Week without committing to a Cannes-first strategy from the start of their festival run.
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Festival History
Critics' Week was founded in 1962 by the French Union of Film Critics and has operated every year since, making it the oldest parallel section of any major international film festival. The section was created to give critics a platform to champion emerging directors whose work might not fit the main Cannes competition's selection criteria.
The section has maintained its exclusive focus on debut and second features throughout its history, creating a consistent identity as the world's premier discovery platform for emerging directors at Cannes. Directors who launched their careers through Critics' Week include some of the most influential names in international cinema.
The section operates independently from the main Cannes festival administration. The French Union of Film Critics appoints the artistic director and selection committees. The section screens at the Miramar space in Cannes, separate from the Palais des Festivals where the Official Selection is presented. Festival de Cannes accreditation grants access to Critics' Week screenings, and reservations can be made through the official Cannes online ticket office.
See Also
For the main Cannes Film Festival, see Cannes Film Festival. To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For debut feature strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding distribution deals that originate at Cannes, see Distribution Deals Explained.
