07/06/2021 - Laura Samani, Clara Roquet, Elie Grappe, the duo comprising Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre, and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed will be battling it out for the Grand Prize

Six European filmmakers will compete in the 60th Critics’ Week which is unspooling between 7 and 15 July within the 74th Cannes Film Festival. Unveiled today by way of an online press conference held by general delegate Charles Tesson (viewable on the Critics’ Week website), the programme of this 2021 edition will include seven titles in competition (all first feature films), due to be assessed by a jury presided over by Cristian Mungiu (read our news).

In the running for the Critics’ Week Grand Prize, we find Italian director Laura Samani with Small Body [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Laura Samani
film profile] (co-produced by France and Slovenia), Spanish filmmaker Clara Roquet with Libertad [+see also:
film review
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interview: Clara Roquet
film profile] (co-produced by Belgium), Zero Fucks Given [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Marre and Julie Le…
film profile] by French helmers Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre (on which Belgium is the majority producing partner by a margin), the majority Swiss production Olga [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Elie Grappe
film profile] by France’s Elie Grappe, and the Finnish director of Somalian origin Khadar Ayderus Ahmed with The Gravedigger’s Wife [+see also:
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film profile] (a film whose story is set in Djibouti and which is produced by Finland, Germany and France).

The competition will also offer up a South American film bearing the name of Colombian director Simón Mesa Soto (the winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film in 2014) which enjoyed production support from Sweden and Germany, alongside an African-set title: Feathers [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Egypt’s Omar El Zohairy (with production coming courtesy of France, the Netherlands and Greece). There’s a noteworthy absence of representatives from North America, Asia and Oceania battling it out for the Critics’ Week Grand Prize, as was also the case in 2019, moreover.

Likewise featuring among the 2021 selection are six French productions which will be screened out of competition, of which four are debut feature films: Robust [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Constance Meyer
film profile] by Constance Meyer, which is set to open the event, Anaïs in Love [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
film profile] by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, which has been singled out as the celebratory film for Critics’ Week 60th anniversary, A Radiant Girl [+see also:
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film profile] by Sandrine Kiberlain (the first feature film directed by the actress), Softie [+see also:
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interview: Samuel Theis
film profile] by Samuel Theis (co-director of Party Girl [+see also:
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interview: Marie Amachoukeli, Claire B…
film profile], winner of the 2014 Cannes Caméra d’Or) and Bruno Reidal, Confessions of a Murderer [+see also:
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interview: Vincent Le Port
film profile] by Vincent Le Port. Last but not least is the only second feature film to grace this year’s Critics’ Week edition, A Tale of Love and Desire [+see also:
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film profile] by Tunisia’s Leyla Bouzid (discovered at Venice’s Giornate degli Autori in 2015 via As I Open My Eyes [+see also:
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interview: Leyla Bouzid
film profile]), which has been entrusted with the festival’s closing slot.

Equally noteworthy is the perfect parity achieved by this feature film showcase, which boasts seven women director and seven male directors.

The full selection is as follows:

Feature Film Competition

Amparo [+see also:
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film profile] - Simón Mesa Soto (Colombia/Sweden/Germany/Qatar)
Feathers [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Omar El Zohairy (Egypt/France/The Netherlands/Greece)
The Gravedigger’s Wife [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Khadar Ayderus Ahmed (Finland/Germany/France)
Libertad [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Clara Roquet
film profile] - Clara Roquet (Spain/Belgium)
Olga [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Elie Grappe
film profile] - Elie Grappe (Switzerland/Ukraine/France)
Small Body [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Laura Samani
film profile] - Laura Samani (Italy/France/Slovenia)
Zero Fucks Given [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Emmanuel Marre and Julie Le…
film profile] – Julie Lecoustre, Emmanuel Marre (Belgium/France)

Special Screenings – Feature Films

Robust [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Constance Meyer
film profile] - Constance Meyer (France/Belgium) (opening film)
Anaïs in Love [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
film profile] - Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet (France)
Bruno Reidal, Confessions of a Murderer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vincent Le Port
film profile] - Vincent Le Port (France)
Softie [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Samuel Theis
film profile] - Samuel Theis (France)
A Radiant Girl [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Sandrine Kiberlain (France)
A Tale of Love and Desire [+see also:
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film profile] - Leyla Bouzid (France) (closing film)

Short Film Competition

Brutalia, Days of Labour - Manolis Mavris (Greece/Belgium)
Lili Alone - Zou Jing (China/Hong Kong/Singapore)
An Invitation - Hao Zhao et Yeung Tung (China)
Inherent - Nicolai G.H Johansen (Denmark)
Intercom 15 - Andrei Epure (Romania)
If It Ain’t Broke - Elinor Nechemya (Israel)
Noir-soleil - Marie Larrivé (France)
Safe - Ian Barling (USA)
Soldat noir - Jimmy Laporal-Trésor (France)
On Solid Ground - Jela Hasler (Switzerland)

Guest Films from the Morelia International Film Festival

Bisho - Pablo Giles
La Oscuridad - Jorge Sistos Moreno
Pinky Promise - Indra Villaseñor Amador
A Face Covered with Kisses - Mariano Rentería Garnica

(Translated from French)