As every year, La Francophonie will be present at the Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from July 6 to 17, 2021: it will support French-speaking filmmakers from the Global South through the activities of the World Cinema Pavilion and its support for films selected for the official selection.
For several years, the OIF has been a committed partner of the Institut français's World Cinema Pavilion, promoting the emergence of young creators from the Global South on the international market. The Pavilion will be inaugurated on July 8. Within it, the "Fabrique Cinéma" supports ten young directors or producers from around the world and puts them in contact with professionals (co-producers, distributors, international sales agents).
Among them, this year the Fabrique welcomes participants from two French-speaking countries: Gabonese producer and director Samantha Biffot and Amédée Pacôme Nkoulou, for their first feature film project entitled "La fresque des oubliés" (The Fresco of the Forgotten); and Egyptian producer and director Mark Lotfy and Marouan Omara for their second feature film project (documentary): "The Missing Planet"; the patron of this edition is Lebanese filmmaker Danielle Arbid.
Another highlight of the OIF's presence in Cannes will be the launch* on July 9 of the "OuiCoprod.org" platform, also as part of the World Cinema Pavilion: this platform is designed to promote and generate partnerships and funding for 50 ACP projects benefiting from European funds as part of the Clap ACP project, a program co-financed by the EU and supported by the Organization of ACP States.
Finally, we would like to highlight the presence in Cannes of three French-language feature films supported by the OIF as part of the Fonds image de la Francophonie:
– "Haut et fort" (Loud and Clear) by Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch is in official competition
– "Freda," by Haitian filmmaker Gessica Généus, is in competition in the "Un Certain Regard" section and is competing for the Caméra d'Or (best first film award)
– "Feathers," by Egyptian director Omar El Zohairy, has been selected for Critics' Week
Press release