The Cinéfondation Prizes 2021 went to countries across the globe, reflecting the Cannes festival international reach. The Short Films and Cinéfondation Jury, which included Sameh Alaa, Kaouther Ben Hania, Carlos Muguiro, Tuva Novotny, Nicolas Pariser and Alice Winocour, has awarded the 2021 Cinéfondation Prizes during a ceremony held in the Buñuel Theatre, followed by the screening of the winning films.
The foundation was created in 1998 by Gilles Jacob, and has established itself as a talent hunter for the festival. uniquely dedicated to upcoming creators, it has three main roles. It supports the film projects of young directors; from scriptwriting to recognizing their work on the international scale, while helping them find financial support.
17 student films, chosen out of 1,835 entries coming from 490 film schools worldwide were in the running for the Cinéfondation Selection 2021. Unusually, the prizes went out to four films this year, instead of three due to a joint third prize.
First Prize
L’ENFANT SALAMANDRE (The Salamander Child)
directed by Théo Degen. INSAS, Belgium
Second Prize
directed by Yoon Daewoen. Korea National University of Arts, South Korea
Joint Third Prize
PRIN ORAS CIRCULA SCURTE POVESTI DE DRAGOSTE (Love Stories on the Move)
directed by Carina-Gabriela Dașoveanu. UNATC “I. L. CARAGIALE”, Romania
directed by Rodrigo Ribeyro. Academia Internacional de Cinema, Brazil
Wondering how to get your short film into the Cannes festival or Cinéfondation? Check this post.