Cannes Film Festival 2026: La Cinef’s winners

Published by Manon de Sortiraparis · Updated on May 24, 2026 at 11:06 p.m.
The winners of La Cinef — aka the new talents of tomorrow's cinema — were recognized by a jury chaired by Spanish director and screenwriter Carla Simón.

La Cinef, once again, confirms its role as a springboard for emerging talent. Following another edition packed with discoveries, this prestigious competition has just unveiled its 2026 Cru winners, chosen under the auspices of a jury led by Spanish director and screenwriter Carla Simón and including Ali Asgari, Salim Kechiouche, Ji-Min Park and Magnus von Horn.

Once again this year, the selection proved difficult, with no fewer than 19 student films from cinema students chosen among 2,747 applicants from 662 film schools worldwide. This record number of submissions underscores the growing importance of La Cinef on the international film stage.

The winners received 15,000€, 11,000€, and 7,500€ respectively, but beyond the financial aspect, these prizes also provide real visibility for these young filmmakers, opening the door to new opportunities.

The Cinef 2026 winners:

  • First Prize: Laser-Gato (Laser-Cat) directed by Lucas Acher (NYU, United States)
  • Second Prize: Silent Voices directed by Nadine Misong Jin (Columbia University, United States)
  • Third Prize (joint): Aldrig Nok (Never Enough) directed by Julius Lagoutte Larsen (La Fémis, France) and Growing Stones, Flying Papers directed by Roozbeh Gezerseh and Soraya Shamsi (Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Germany)

Please note that the award-winning films will be screened at the Panthéon Cinema on June 2 at 6:00 p.m.

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