Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step selects 10 first-time feature filmmakers for its 2024 development program in France.
A New Wave of First-Time Directors Steps Into the Spotlight
Every year, Cannes Critics’ Week feels like a quiet spark that later ignites the industry; and this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step lineup keeps that flame burning hot.
Ten first-time feature filmmakers have been selected for a week-long creative sprint designed to turn ambitious ideas into actual films. For directors dreaming of crossing that precarious bridge from shorts to features, Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step has become one of the most coveted, career-altering programs in Europe.
Róisín Burns, Marinthia Gutiérrez, Anna Hints, Robert-Jonathan Koeyers, Marie Larrivé, Carmen Leroi, Leonardo Martinelli, Bruno Ribeiro, Ananth Subramaniam, Juan Pablo Villalobos
The stories in this year’s group stretch from Liverpool’s raw edges to Estonia’s forests, threaded with political tension, intimate folklore, and the kind of personal stakes that make a filmmaker’s first feature unforgettable. For anyone who’s stood on a festival terrace in Berlin or waited on a Palais staircase at Cannes—hopeful, overwhelmed, occasionally fun-loving—this program feels like a reminder of why you started making films in the first place.
Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step and the Rise of Directors Ready for Their First Leap
This 12th edition puts the spotlight on filmmakers who previously screened short films in Critics’ Week—an incubator known for catching rising talent before the rest of the world wakes up.
Among this year’s standouts is Róisín Burns, the France-based Irish-British filmmaker behind Wonderwall, which premiered in the parallel section earlier this year. Her feature project returns to her native Liverpool, following a 17-year-old soldier who deserts his post during the Iraq War. The premise already carries the emotional punch of a city defined by grit, music, and stark truths.
Equally compelling is Estonian filmmaker Anna Hints, whose Smoke Sauna Sisterhood became a phenomenon—winning Sundance’s directing award, earning Estonia’s first European Film Award, and representing the country at the 96th Oscars. She arrives with Black Hairy Beast, her first solo fiction feature, exploring the life of an Indian dancer navigating love, culture, and Estonian folklore. The setup has flavor, heat, and a fun-loving curiosity that feels tailor-made for adventurous programmers.
And that’s just two. The full list (scroll down) reveals a slate as varied and bold as anything emerging on today’s festival circuit.
A Workshop That Blends Craft, Community, and a Taste of the French Creative Life
From December 6–12, the ten selected directors join an immersive workshop split between two creative havens:
The Moulin d’Andé artists residence in Normandy, and later, a day of meetings with industry leaders in Paris.
In Normandy, directors receive:
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Deep-dive screenplay sessions with international consultants
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Composer meetings to sharpen the musical identities of their films
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A rare chance to work far from noise, deadlines, and the pressures of production
It’s the kind of process that can shake a project loose, especially for filmmakers accustomed to writing in cafés between jobs or editing in cramped apartments—a relatable rite of passage for nearly everyone in the industry.
Then comes Paris: a sharpen-your-pitch, meet-the-buyers sprint where ideas begin transforming into future deals. It’s not quite the chaos of Marché du Film, nor the winter frost of Rotterdam, but it’s a decisive step toward getting first features financed, staffed, and eventually premiered on the world stage.
A Prize That Pushes One Filmmaker Even Further
At the end of the workshop, one participant receives:
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A residency at the Moulin d’Andé–CÉCI
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The Next Step Prize (€2,500)
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An invitation to the Cannes Film Festival
For emerging directors, that’s not just support—it’s a door. A meaningful, practical one. The kind of opportunity that stops being abstract and starts becoming a plane ticket, a hotel key, a meeting that changes everything.
A Proven Track Record That Keeps Growing
Since its launch in 2014, the program has supported 97 filmmakers from 39 countries. Out of that group:
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38 feature films have been completed,
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…and screened at major festivals worldwide.
Recent examples include:
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Aisha Can’t Fly Away by Morad Mostafa — Un Certain Regard 2025
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The Visitor by Vytautas Katkus — Best Director, Karlovy Vary
This conversion rate is no accident. Next Step isn’t a feel-good workshop; it’s a structured pipeline that pushes talented directors from potential to execution.
For more context on the importance of career development labs in filmmaking, see this overview from European Audiovisual Observatory:
https://www.obs.coe.int/en/web/observatoire
FAQ (Schema-)
Q: What is the Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step program?
A: A development initiative supporting first-time feature filmmakers who previously screened short films in Critics’ Week.
Q: How long is the workshop?
A: One week, from December 6 to 12, split between Normandy and Paris.
Q: What opportunities can participants receive?
A: Screenplay consultations, composer meetings, industry introductions, and a prize that includes a residency and a Cannes Festival invitation.
Conclusion: A Launchpad for Filmmakers Who Refuse to Wait
The Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step program remains one of the sharpest tools for emerging filmmakers—focused, intimate, and designed for directors ready to commit to the long game. With this year’s lineup, the program once again proves that strong voices don’t wait for permission. They step forward, step up, and take their next step—one draft, one meeting, one breakthrough at a time.
Full-List of Projects Selected for 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 50’s; 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 desire and disillusions, 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. But as Mahesh tries to find his place in his lover’s country, he sees a shift in his body and identity, awakening a cursed mythological creature within. Their love soon grapples with society’s gaze and the wild instincts they find within.
Story of August
Dir. Robert-Jonathan Koeyers (Netherlands)
Synopsis. Over three summers, following her parents’ divorce, August, a lively and determined teenager, spends her holidays with her father in a seaside town in transition. As time goes by, she discovers the cracks and silences within her family, while searching for her own place. She learns to face the emotional legacy they have left her and to break the cycle of family trauma.
Erika
Dir. Marie Larrivé (French)
Synopsis. Brittany, 1999. Sylvia, 68, a retired computer engineer, is gravely ill. She has entrusted her life to Dr. Dubois, who, according to village rumors, has discovered a miracle cure against cancer. But as the storm of the century approaches the coast, Sylvia begins to question her doctor’s methods.
l’Expérience Impossible
Dir. Carmen Leroi
Synopsis. Théo is passionately in love with Eve, twenty years his senior. When Eve falls gravely ill, Théo is devastated. “I wish I were her age and had met her twenty years earlier”, he says. A strange doctor, whom he has found for Eve’s treatment, takes him at his word and sends him back to 2004, where he is to live in the body of another version of himself…
Fantasma Neon
Dir. Leonardo Martinelli (Brazil)
Synopsis. In Rio de Janeiro, João, a bicycle delivery worker, dreams of purchasing a motorbike to improve his life and support his family. Since his mother died, he has become the sole provider of the family, taking care of his brother Luiz, who harbours a secret as well. When an accident at work triggers protests among the delivery staff, his belief about merit and solidarity wavers. Caught between ambition and loyalty, João discovers the cost of his dreams in a city where singing is also an act of resistance
Saturday in Copacabana
Dir. Bruno Ribeiro (Brazil)
Synopsis. During a night out in Copacabana, a thirty- something pianist, prone to inner turmoil, runs into an old flame just as a major turning point is looming in her life. The bustling streets, music, and the memories stir emotions she thought were forgotten. At dawn, she must choose between the comfort of the present and the pull of an unfinished past.
Pray To The Thunder
Dir. Ananth Subramaniam (Malaysia)
Synopsis. In a Tamil town in Malaysia, dominated by an authoritarian priest, Thunder, a rebellious young woman, channels her anger by performing with her punk band on the village stage, normally reserved for the priest’s religious processions. Their music electrifies the youths and stirs the wrath of traditionalists, igniting a confrontation between modernity and superstition. As tensions rise, Thunder discovers a mystical power that threatens to tip this already delicate balance.
Ladrones de Cuadros
Dir. Juan Pablo Villalobos (Mexico)
Synopsis. After witnessing a murder, Arcadio – a disillusioned painter turned delivery man in Mexico City – narrowly escapes an attempt on his life and finds refuge at his grandmother’s home in the state of Oaxaca. As days go by peacefully in the village, he meets a mysterious Finnish art conservator and claims some of his grandmother’s paintings as his own – until the strange, unsettling killer finally tracks him down.
Cannes Critics’ Week Next Step selects 10 first-time feature filmmakers for its 2024 development program in France.
