We are delighted to announce two more LFS alumni taking films to Cannes this year; Simón Mesa Soto with MADRE (Mother) and Hamid Ahmadi with IN THE HILLS.
MADRE has been selected as part of the short film competition, which comprises of ten films each year. This year, the selection committee received 5,008 short films – 458 more than in 2015.
These films are all in the running for the 2016 Short Film Palme d’Or, to be awarded by Naomi Kawase, President of the Jury, at the official award ceremony of the 69th Festival de Cannes on 22th May.
In 2014 Soto won the Short Film Palme d’Or for his LFS graduation film LEIDI, the first student film to ever win the award. In MADRE, 16 year-old Andrea leaves her poor neighbourhood in the hills of Medellin to attend a downtown casting call for a porn film.
Hamid's graduation film IN THE HILLS has been selected for the Cannes Cinéfondation; to mark its 19th year, the Cinéfondation Selection has chosen 18 films (14 works of fiction and 4 animations), from among the 2,300 works submitted this year by film schools from all over the world.
Fifteen countries from three continents are represented. The 3 Cinéfondation prizes will be awarded at a ceremony preceding the screening of the prize-winning films on Friday 20th May in the Buñuel Theatre.