“We always aim to create spaces where everyone can be inspired, learn, and connect”
– The head of the Cannes Marché du Film’s section discusses its latest developments, including the launch of “The Lab”, a key space for project development
The Short Film Corner | Rendez-vous Industry, a forum dedicated to fostering links between the short film creative sector and the industry, will take place from 17 to 20 May during the 79th Cannes Film Festival. We spoke to its director, Florian Fernandez.
Cineuropa: Several programmes have become well established within SFC | Rendez-vous Industry. Could you tell us more about them? And what are the main new features introduced this year, particularly in terms of formats, participant profiles and the types of projects supported?
Florian Fernandez: Indeed, the Creative Programmes (Focus SCRIPT, Focus WiP, Focus COPRO’) have established themselves as key initiatives over several editions, both for industry professionals and for the filmmakers behind these projects. In recent years, projects that went through Focus SCRIPT and Focus WiP have appeared in selections in Directors’ Fortnight (Pithead by Wannes Vanspauwen & Pol De Plecker, Loynes by Dorian Jespers), Critics’ Week (L’Mina by Randa Maroufi), at Locarno Film Festival (Still Playing by Mohamed Mesbah, Goats! by Tonći Gaćina, Ce qu’on laisse derrière by Sébastian Hamel & Alexandra Myotte), and many other major festivals on the circuit.
The New Producers Room is also celebrating its fifth anniversary and once again welcomes 10 particularly inspiring producers for an intensive programme focused on co-production, spanning from Colombia, Indonesia, Spain, France and other European countries. These producers are then encouraged to take part in other industry initiatives run by major festivals.
As for short films, we continue to offer support in script development – with renowned experts – as well as guidance on distribution, international co-production opportunities, and mentoring sessions.
For first features, the Focus COPRO’ programme — centred on financing and co-production opportunities — has been strengthened through the involvement of major players such as MK2, Oxbelly, Eurimages, EAVE, La Fabrique Cinéma, and highly established producers. More broadly, among our industry activities open to a wide range of participants, we always aim to involve filmmakers and institutions from all over the world, creating spaces where everyone can be inspired, learn, and connect. We organise around twenty private workshops on specific topics aimed at cohorts of filmmakers supported by partner institutions.
In terms of territories, after strengthening Latin American presence last year, we have continued this diversification and built strong links with Southeast Asia – both by welcoming new professionals and filmmakers not necessarily familiar with the European market. Organisations such as BOGOSHORTS, Minikino Film Week, Jakarta Film Week and the Thai Film Foundation have played a key role in this diversification.
All these opportunities are further reinforced this year by the creation of The Lab, a new initiative that operates at the very core of projects still in development.
The Lab programme launched this year as a key space for project development within SFC | Rendez-vous Industry. What motivated the creation of this programme and what are its main objectives today?
Beyond the many activities dedicated to completed films and the visibility provided by the Creative Programmes to projects in development or production, there has long been a desire to extend this support by offering more projects — still unfinished — the opportunity to benefit from in-depth guidance at key stages. This led to the creation of The Lab this year.
This new section is divided into two strands: the Writing Hub and the Editing Room. Conceived as a workspace rather than a showcase, The Lab welcomes projects at two crucial stages of the creative process — writing on the one hand, and editing on the other — when films are still fragile and open to possibilities. Through mentorship with internationally renowned experts, each project benefits from tailor-made sessions. In addition to writing sessions with follow-up over several months, the Writing Hub offers personalised consultations on other key aspects of development, such as production and financing strategies, packaging and career development.
At the same time, the Editing Room allows filmmakers to benefit from specific consultations with experienced editors and sound designers, focusing on narrative rhythm, structure, and the articulation of the film. Finally, personalised sessions on distribution strategy, sales, and communication and marketing elements help address the film’s circulation once completed.
In total, 10 additional projects benefit from dedicated support, with nearly 50 extra sessions added to our activities thanks to The Lab.
In a context where production and financing models are evolving rapidly, how do your various initiatives adapt to meet the emerging needs of creators and producers?
Today, production and financing models are increasingly fragmented, international and hybrid. Our initiatives, embedded within an ecosystem as global as the Cannes Film Festival, are designed to respond to this complexity.
Beyond the wide diversity of cinemas we host, we continuously aim to strengthen our role as a networking platform by prioritising direct, one-to-one, personalised and tailor-made meetings between directors, producers and decision-makers, rather than large-scale events. This is what can truly make a difference in an increasingly prolific sector, where the sheer amount of projects can lead to a sense of saturation. The goal is to create key moments, shorten access to major industry players and generate concrete opportunities for development, exchange and connection — facilitating both production and distribution.
Once again, through around 150 consultations conducted, SFC | Rendez-vous Industry enables talents to be supported at every key stage, not only once a film is completed. There is also a strong ambition to ensure that these projects and visions of cinema resonate beyond the Cannes Film Festival and find echoes in other international events. To achieve this, we constantly build bridges with other industry initiatives that, in turn, support and reward some of the projects selected within our programmes.
