The Cannes Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in the world, drawing hundreds of thousands of audience members to catch some of the most anticipated films of the year.
The festival isn’t just about premieres—it’s where global connections are made. The Marché du Film (Cannes Film Market) runs in tandem with the festival, and hosts several programs for different genres and types of films. It’s a major international sales and mentorship hub for the film industry. In that spirit, the Canada Pavilion will over 300 Canadian delegates at Stand No. 127, at the heart of the Marché du Film.
Learn more about Canada’s presence at the festival!
Canadian projects in the Cannes Film Festival selection
Canadian talent is making waves at Cannes once again!
This year, four films and one XR work are part of the festival’s selection.
In the Short Films Competition is Hypersensitive, a surrealist animated short from writer-director Martine Frossard.
In the Directors’ Fortnight: two feature films, and an animated short!
- Amour Apocalypse (Peak Everything) a romantic comedy from writer-director Anne Émond, starring Piper Perabo and Patrick Hivon.
- La Mort n’existe pas (Death Does Not Exist), an animated Canada–France coproduction written and directed by Félix Dufour-Laperrière that explores the price of resistance.
- The animated short Bread Will Walk produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The film is written, directed and animated by Alex Boya, and voiced by Jay Baruchel.
In the Immersive Competition: The Dollhouse, an XR coproduction with Luxembourg, about power dynamics at home.
And finally, in the Cannes Classics programme, Sunshine from István Szabó, produced by Robert Lantos (Serendipity Point Films, Canada) and Andras Hamori.
International Discoverability and Distribution Initiatives at the Marché du Film
Canada Showcase at Cannes Docs
The Canada Showcase at Cannes Docs provides an exclusive preview of four Canadian feature-length documentaries in their final stages of production. Producers and filmmakers will pitch their film to an audience of international business partners, such as coproducers, sales agents, festival programmers and more.
In partnership with Telefilm Canada and Les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM).
- Concrete Turned to Sand by Jessica Johnson, Ryan Ermacora | British Columbia
- Skin of the Sky by Andrea Bussmann | Ontario
- The Production of the World by Brett Story | Ontario
- We Shall Eat When the River Is Full by Banchi Hanuse | British Columbia
Not Short on Talent
A curated selection of 7 Canadian short films will be part of Telefilm’s Canada: Not Short on Talent showcase at Cannes’ Short Film Corner. The Short Film Corner is a forum dedicated to short film professionals, and is a great platform for filmmakers to promote their work and connect with their international counterparts.
The Canadian film teams behind the shorts will have the opportunity to not only present their film the Short Film Corner video library, but to also attend various workshops, panels and networking events.
- Boa, directed by Alexandre Dostie | Quebec
- En plein air, directed by Morgana McKenzie | Ontario
- I Hate Babies, directed by Sidney Leeder, Alona Metzer, and Walter Woodman | Ontario
- Sitting Bird, directed by Athena Han | British Columbia
- Still Moving, directed by Rui Ting Ji | Quebec
- The Palace, directed by Lauren Marsden | British Columbia
- Yves et ses bonsais, directed by Ophelia Spinosa | Quebec
Click here to learn more about the films in the Not Short on Talent cohort.
Frontières at Cannes
Looking for a great genre film? Then check out the showcases co-presented by Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival and the Marché du Film!
FRONTIÈRES is an international co-production market and networking platform specifically focused on genre film financing and co-production between Europe and North America.
The following genre films in post-production are looking for sales agents, distributors and festival programmers. They will be presenting a 10 min extract from their film.
- The Stolen Child by Sebastian McKinnon | Quebec
- Turn It Up! by Samuel Scott | Ontario
Producers and directors present original proof-of-concept teaser content to an audience of prospective financiers, sales agents, and distributors. Films are in their advanced stages of financing.
- Ancestral Beasts by Tim Riedel | Ontario
- Feed by Nancy Urich | Nova Scotia
Animation Day
The film Juliàn has been selected to participate in the Annecy Animation Showcase showcase! The film is an exploration of a child’s heritage after spending time with his grandmother during a summer. Directed by Louise Bagnall, it’s also a coproduction between Ireland, UK, Canada, Denmark and Luxembourg.
The Annecy Animation Showcase, co-organized by the Marché du Film & Annecy Film Festival, is a curated selection of today’s most promising animated projects. The creative teams behind each project are invited to attend Cannes to pitch their ideas and present their concepts in front of potential sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
Panels and Networking
Panel - Canada Partner of Choice: Maximizing Coproduction Opportunities
Want to produce your next project with Canada? Add this panel to your schedule!
On the agenda: regional financial incentives, coproduction benefits across provinces, resources for producers, and more! Representatives from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland & Labrador will be speaking on the panel.
May 16 | 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | Canada Pavilion #127
ImpACT Labs
Canadian producers Kathy-Ann Thomas and Sholeh Alemi Fabbri were selected for this year’s impACT Lab at Cannes! Each has a narrative feature in development with co-production potential and early-stage financing.
Sholeh Alemi Fabbri – Good Measure Productions
Sholeh Alemi Fabbri founded Good Measure Productions in 2021, producing impactful films like the award-winning animated short Meteor (TIFF ’23) by Atefeh Khademolreza. She is currently developing Atefeh and Samuel Kiehoon Lee’s fantasy-realism feature Eclipse with producer Heather Haldane (Maudie). She serves on the Board of Artists for Peace and Justice and is a member of the CMPA.
Kathy-Ann Thomas – Cotton Bush Productions
Kathy-Ann Thomas, a Grenadian Canadian producer, has over 20 years of experience in the film and television industry. As an English-language minority in Quebec, she founded Cotton Bush Productions to amplify diverse voices. Her award-winning shorts include Snow, Red Ruby, A Late Thaw, and The Cradle, with Crocus in post. She’s developing the feature films Moving Day, Hegemon, and Finding Mercy, along with two series.
The impACT Lab brings together emerging and experienced producers from partner institutions to develop projects for the global market, strengthen co-productions, and champion a diverse film industry.
