Ten short films—nine clocking in at 15 minutes, with Portuguese filmmaker Daniel Soares’ latest just a minute shy—are vying for the Palme d’Or for Short Film (3,184 submissions in all), in what may be the most strikingly auteur-forward lineup in years. As we eagerly await his feature debut 900 Tons, Soares’ makes it to the Palme d’Or competition for a second time – his Bad for a Moment (2024) was our personal Palme d’Or in that year’s batch is being followed by A Few Things Happening by a River which we imagine might ride the same bleak humor tonality. Colombian filmmaker Theo Montoya is also making it a second trip to Cannes (Son of Sodom was selected in 2020) and his newest short comes directly after premiering his 2022 feature ANHELL69 in Venice. From Argentina, Federico Luis who left a mark in the Cannes Critics’ Week with his feature Simon of the Mountain (2024) returns to the Croisette with Thunder Platoon. And the biggest catch of them all might be the latest by Caméra d’Or winner from Vietnam’s Phạm Thiên Ân (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell). Here are the 10 selected titles:
Fresh Cut – Hadrien Bels
The Last Spring – Mathilde Bedouet
Sisters’ Swim – Lola Degove
The End – Niki Lindroth von Bahr
Para Los Contrincantes (For the Opponents) – Federico Luis
Peloton Trueno (Thunder Platoon) – Theo Montoya
Giấc Mơ Là Ốc Sên (The Dream is a Snail) – Thien An Nguyen
Algunas Cosas Que Acontecen Ao Lado De Um Rio (A Few Things Happening by a River) – Daniel Soares
Spiritus Sanctus – Michal Toczek
Niko Ništa Nije Rekao (Nobody Said Anything) – Tamara Todorović
