Industry
Talent Village
FOR FIRST FEATURE FILM PROJECT
TALENT VILLAGE
The Talent Village returns for its eighth edition, taking place within the Industry Village from December 12 to 16, 2025.
Originally designed for film schools, the Talent Village has become a key incubator for emerging European filmmakers making the leap to feature films. Each year, the program brings together eight promising directors for an immersive five-day journey at the heart of the festival — a space dedicated to creativity, collaboration, and international networking.
Focusing on the evolving landscape of the global film industry, the Talent Village combines tailored workshops, one-on-one meetings, and mentorship sessions to help participants refine both their artistic vision and strategic approach. The program culminates in the presentation of their feature projects at the Coproduction Village.
For more information, please get in touch : industry@lesarcsff.com
2025 TALENT VILLAGE SELECTION
The talents selected are :
Ruairí Bradley, Ireland
Project : Jomo produced by Noir Studio
Director of the short film We Beg to Differ (Clermont-Ferrand IFF)
Chloe Culpin, United Kingdom
Project : Annie & Joan produced by Erebus Picture Limited (United Kingdom) and Riff Raff (United Kingdom)
Director of the short films Burn Out (Rhode Island IFF, Tampere FF) and The Pigeon
Dovydas Drakšas, Lituania
Project : Lagoon Blues
Director of the short film Praeis (La Cinef Cannes)
Fran Moreno Blanco & Santi Pujol Amat, Spain
Project : Stem Cell
Directors of the short film Furia (Palm Springs IFF)
Xandra Popescu, Roumania
Project : Daughters of the Burning Heart produced by Angst & Bange (Germany)
Director of the short films Erogenesis (Cannes Critics’ Week) and Sentimental Stories (Venice IFF)
Helio Pu, France
Project : Anywhere Anytime produced by Fin Août Début Septembre (France)
Director of the short film Every Heaven in Between (Côté Court FF)
Reza Rasouli, Austria
Project : Roots & Wind produced by Lost Frames Films (Austria)
Director of the short film Night of Passage (Trieste FF, Max Ophüls FF) and Found & Lost (Sarajevo FF)
Xin Wang, France
Project : Interpretations produced by Alexis Hofmann
Director of the short film Four wise monkeys (Brest FF)
2025 TALENT VILLAGE COMPOSERS
The composers selected are:
- Lolita Del Pino – France
- Gregorios Eleftheriou – Greece
- Minh Lê Boutin – France
- Emil Sana – Finland / France
This year also marks the continuation of the collaboration between the Talent Village and the Music Village, in partnership with Sacem. Directors and film composers will work hand in hand through joint creative workshops. The composers will work on two projects and will present two music compositions during the Industry Days.
2025 TALENT VILLAGE AMBASSADOR: OLIVER LAXE
This year, the Spanish director Oliver Laxe is honoring us with being the Ambassador of this edition of the Talent Village,
Throughout the program, he will share his experience and unique vision with the participating filmmakers during exclusive moments of exchange and mentorship. He made his debut with You All Are Captains (2010), which won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Directors Fortnight. He went on to direct Mimosas (2016), which won the Grand Prize at La Semaine de la Critique, and Fire Will Come (2019), screened in Un Certain Regard, where it received the Jury Prize. His poetic and spiritual cinema continues to inspire a new generation of filmmakers. This year, he presented Sirāt in competition at the Festival de Cannes, where it received the Jury Prize, and has made more than 700.000 admissions in France. He will also be part of a conversation on the film's original score during the Industry Village.
Latest ambassadors were:
- Ildikó Enyedi (My 20th Century, The Story of my Wife) in 2024
- Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness, The Square, Snow Therapy) in 2023
- Juho Kuosmanen (Compartment no.6, The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki) in 2022
- Nadav Lapid (Ahed's Knee, Synonyms, The Kindergarten Teacher, Policeman) in 2021
- Isabelle Huppert in 2019
- Thomas Vinterberg (Festen,The Hunt, Kursk, Drunk) in 2018
CONTACT
Nina Benoit
Talent Village Coordinator
nbenoit@lesarcsff.com
Lison Hervé
Industry Village Manager
lherve@lesarcsff.com
Jérémy Zelnik
Head of Industry
