Several films exploring the transition from childhood to adulthood will feature in the 65th Critics’ Week at the Cannes Festival, including two Belgian co-productions selected for the opening and closing of the event.
Critics’ Week, established in 1962, focuses on first and second films. According to its general delegate, Ava Cahen, this year’s programme will highlight films portraying "the world through the eyes of children, teenagers, or young adults."
The animated feature In Waves, co-produced by the Belgian company Panique!, will open the event. This directorial debut by Phuong Mai Nguyen, adapted from AJ Dungo’s graphic novel, tells a story about a young skateboarder and surfer whose love is tested by illness.
For the closing night, the Belgian co-production Adieu monde cruel, the first feature by French director Félix de Givry, has been selected. Organisers describe the film as a realistic tale that balances careful direction with the raw emotions of Otto, a 14-year-old protagonist.
The 65th edition, running from 13 to 21 May, will also include films from countries new to the festival. Among them is The Station, a Yemeni feature by Sara Ishaq about a woman managing a petrol station amid the challenges of patriarchal oppression and civil war.
Kosovo makes its debut with Dua, a film by Blerta Basholi that portrays a 13-year-old girl’s entry into adolescence disrupted by conflict with Serbia.
Seven films will compete in this year’s selection, with four screened out of competition. Six of the selected directors are women, five of whom are vying for the Grand Prize. The jury composition has yet to be announced.
In 2025, the Critics’ Week Grand Prize went to the eccentric Thai queer comedy A Useful Ghost, while the Jury Prize honoured Imago, a Belgian co-production and the first Chechen film in the history of Cannes.
