Six Emerging Filmmakers Join the Cannes Film Festival Residency
Six Faces. Six Countries. Six Projects.
Meltse Van Coillie, Diana Cam Van Nguyen, Zhao Hao, Gessica Généus, Andréa Slaviček, and Asmae El Moudir are the talented young filmmakers who have recently joined the Cannes Film Festival Residency for its autumn session. Over the next four and a half months, the Festival will support them in the development of their first or second feature film scripts.
Since its inception in 2000, the "villa Medicis" of cinema has hosted and nurtured many artists who have since become prominent figures in the global film landscape. Filmmakers such as Lucrecia Martel, Nadav Lapid, Nadine Labaki, Michel Franco, László Nemes, and Lukas Dhont, among others, have all graced the residence.
Located in the historically rich 9th arrondissement of Paris, the new residents will benefit from a personalized script development program and collective sessions with directors, industry professionals, and film institution representatives.
During the Festival, the participants from both sessions held throughout the year (from October 1 to February 15 and from March 15 to July 31) - totaling 12 filmmakers - will be invited to Cannes to present their scripts to industry professionals, increasing their chances of bringing their projects to life.
- Meltse Van Coillie (Belgium): Meltse Van Coillie is a Belgian director with a background in documentary filmmaking. She graduated from the KASK, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, in 2018 with the hybrid short film "Elephantfish." The film was screened at numerous international festivals and received an award from the Flemish Audiovisual Fund, leading to her second short film, "Zonder Meer," which premiered at the Berlinale in 2021. Meltse is currently writing her first feature film, "Torpor," set in the same region in Greenland.
- Diana Cam Van Nguyen (Czech Republic / Vietnam): Diana Cam Van Nguyen is a Czech and Vietnamese filmmaker born in 1993 in the Czech Republic. Based in Prague, she graduated from the animation film department of FAMU. Her short films have been selected at festivals like Locarno, Toronto, Rotterdam, Annecy, and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. "Love, Dad" (2021) was nominated for Best Short Film at the European Film Awards in 2022 and won over 70 awards at international festivals. Diana is currently developing her first feature film, "Inbetween Worlds," at the Cannes Film Festival Residency, a fiction film that blends live-action and animation.
- Zhao Hao (China): Zhao Hao, originally from Rizhao, is a Chinese writer and director. His short film "Fang ke" ("An Invitation") was featured in the 60th Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. His latest short film, "Yi Shi Yi Ke" ("Now. Here"), was selected at the Berlinale 2023 in the Generation 14plus section. Zhao is currently developing his first feature film, "Qing Shui Luo Da Yu" ("If I See a Rainbow"), at the Cannes Film Festival Residency, with support from the Hubert Bals Fund of IFFR for script development.
- Gessica Généus (Haiti): Gessica Généus is a Haitian actress, singer, and director. She began her career at the age of 17. In 2010, after the earthquake, she worked for the United Nations and earned a scholarship to study at Acting International in Paris. She returned to Haiti and established her production company, Ayizan Production, to develop her own projects. Her first feature film, "Freda," premiered in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021, in the Un Certain Regard section, and has received numerous awards at international festivals.
- Andrea Slaviček (Croatia): Andrea Slaviček is a Croatian director, screenwriter, and designer born in 1990 in Zagreb, Croatia. She studied directing at ESCAC in Barcelona, Spain. Her second short film, "The Real Truth about the Fight," was selected for the Cannes Critics' Week in 2023. Andrea is currently developing her first feature film, "Luna on Two Planets," at the Cannes Film Festival Residency.
- Asmae El Moudir (Morocco): Asmae El Moudir is a Moroccan director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed documentaries for various international broadcasters and her debut feature film, "The Mother of All Lies," premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, winning the Best Director award. The film represents Morocco at the Oscars in both the Best International Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature categories.
The Cannes Film Festival Residency has provided a unique opportunity for these filmmakers to dedicate themselves to their craft and take their place among the illustrious alumni who have gone on to make their mark in the world of cinema. These six fresh voices from diverse backgrounds and experiences hold the promise of adding more vibrancy to the world of filmmaking, echoing the Festival commitment to fostering emerging talent.