Payal Kapadia Named President of Cannes Critics’ Week Jury

Overview

• Critics’ Week named Kapadia jury president Wednesday, ahead of the May 13–21 program in Cannes.
• The international panel includes actor Théodore Pellerin, musician Oklou, producer Ama Ampadu, and journalist-festival director Donsaron Kovitvanitcha.
• The jury will award the Ami Paris Grand Prize for best feature, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for a performer, and the Sony Discovery Prize for best short.
• The sidebar centers on debuts and sophomore films, with 11 features selected from about 1,050 submissions and 13 shorts chosen from roughly 2,400 entries.
• Kapadia, who won Cannes’ Grand Prix in 2024 and L’Oeil d’Or in 2021, says nurturing first films helps independent cinema withstand market pressures.