Critics' Week

History

Critics' week was created in 1962, after the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics' successful campaign for Shirley Clarke's The Connection to be screened at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. It is the oldest non-official Cannes sidebar.

Critics' Week's objective is to discover and support new talents, showcasing first and second feature films by directors worldwide. Bernardo Bertolucci, Philip Kaufman, Ken Loach, Tony Scott, Agnieszka Holland, Leos Carax, Wong Kar-wai, Guillermo del Toro, Jacques Audiard, Arnaud Desplechin, Gaspar Noé, François Ozon, Andrea Arnold, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Julia Ducournau, Justine Triet, all began at Critics' Week.

Since its creation in 1990 and until 2010, there was no jury at Critics' Week. Journalists of all nationalities were invited to vote at the end of each screening of the films in competition, after which the Grand Prize was awarded. In 2011, on the occasion of its 50th edition, Critics' Week formed an international jury made up of four critics and chaired by Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong. Thereafter, the jury has been presided over by a director and consists of four members with writing, filmmaking, acting or programming backgrounds. Notable jury presidents have included Bertrand Bonello, Miguel Gomes, Andrea Arnold, Ronit Elkabetz, Valérie Donzelli, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Joachim Trier, Ciro Guerra and Cristian Mungiu.

Description

Critics' Week presents a selective program of seven feature films and ten short films in competition. There are also special screenings which are kept few in number in order to provide them greater visibility. Feature films compete for Grand Prize, the SACD Prize, which is awarded for best screenplay, and the Gan Foundation Award, which helps films get distribution. Short films can receive the Canal+ Award and the Discovery Award. Debut feature films are eligible for the Caméra d'Or, which is open to all first films in Official Selection and the parallel sections at Cannes.

Main awards

Feature films

Feature film awards include:

• Grand Prize (Grand Prix)
• French Touch Prize of the Jury (Prix French Touch du jury)
• Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award (Prix Fondation Louis Roederer de la Révélation)
• Gan Foundation Award for Distribution (Prix Fondation Gan à la Diffusion)
• SACD (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) (Prix SACD)

Short films

Short film awards include:

• Discovery Award (Prix Découverte Leitz Cine)
• Canal+ Award (Prix Canal+)

Discontinued awards

• France 4 Visionary Award (Prix Révélation France 4) (2012–2017)

Grand Prize winners

The Grand Prize (Grand Prix) is the top prize of Critics' Week. In 2001, the prize was sponsored by the French energy company Primagaz. Between 2011 and 2021, the Grand Prize was known as the Nespresso Grand Prize, named for its sponsor Nespresso.

References

References

1. "La Semaine de la Critique".
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4. Dobson, Patricia. (28 February 2000). "Bertolucci named Critics' Week patron".
5. Lattanzio, Ryan. (12 June 2021). "21 Directors Who Launched Their Filmmaking Careers at Cannes".
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7. Gorson, Arthur. (6 August 2019). "'Cronos' Producer Looks Back on Guillermo del Toro's Early Days".
8. Indiewire. (28 August 1998). "Francois Ozon Teases and Pleases with "See the Sea" and "A Summer's Dress"".
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15. Richford, Rhonda. (16 May 2018). "Cannes: 'Diamantino' Tops Critics' Week Awards".
16. "Prix de la Semaine de la Critique".
17. Goodfellow, Melanie. (17 April 2023). "Cannes Critics' Week Unveils 2023 Line-up – Full List".
18. "Accueil".
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22. "Festival de Cannes 2001 / Palmarès".
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24. "Prize List 2021".
25. "Prize List 2022".
26. "Ziré Nouré Mâh Under the Moonlight". La Semaine de la Critique.
27. "Respiro". La Semaine de la Critique.
28. "Depuis qu'Otar est parti". La Semaine de la Critique.
29. "Brodeuses". La Semaine de la Critique.
30. "Or / Mon trésor". La Semaine de la Critique.
31. "Me and You and Everyone We Know / Moi, toi et tous les autres". La Semaine de la Critique.
32. "Les Amitiés maléfiques". La Semaine de la Critique.
33. "XXY". La Semaine de la Critique.
34. "Snijeg Snow / Premières neiges". La Semaine de la Critique.
35. "Adieu Gary". La Semaine de la Critique.
36. "Armadillo". La Semaine de la Critique.
37. "Take Shelter". La Semaine de la Critique.
38. "Aquí y Allá Ici et là-bas". La Semaine de la Critique.
39. "Salvo". La Semaine de la Critique.
40. "Plemya The Tribe". La Semaine de la Critique.
41. "Paulina / La patota". La Semaine de la Critique.
42. "Mimosas / Mimosas, la voie de l'Atlas". La Semaine de la Critique.
43. "Makala". La Semaine de la Critique.
44. "Diamantino". La Semaine de la Critique.
45. "J'ai perdu mon corps I Lost My Body". La Semaine de la Critique.
46. "Feathers / Plumes". La Semaine de la Critique.
47. "L'Eden (La Jauría)". La Semaine de la Critique.
48. "Tiger Stripes". La Semaine de la Critique.
49. "Awarded films of the 63rd edition {{!}} La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes".
50. Goodfellow, Melanie. (21 May 2025). "Cannes Critics' Week Winners: Thai Film 'A Useful Ghost' & 'Imago' Take Top Prizes". [[Deadline Hollywood]].