British filmmaker Molly Manning Walker to lead Un Certain Regard Jury at 2025 Cannes Film Festival
British director Molly Manning Walker has been announced as President of the jury for the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Festival de Cannes, scheduled to take place in Cannes, France, from 13th May to 24th May, 2025. The jury will be responsible for awarding prizes in a section that highlights films from emerging filmmakers and works that champion discovery and audacity in world cinema.
Walker will be joined on the jury by French-Swiss director Louise Courvoisier, Croatian festival director Vanja Kaludjercic, Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini and Argentinian actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart. Together, they will adjudicate over a selection of 20 films, including nine by debut directors, as part of a strand known for spotlighting art and discovery films from young auteurs.
The Un Certain Regard section will open this year with Promised Sky by Tunisian director Erige Sehiri on 14th May. In 2024, the Un Certain Regard Prize was awarded to Guan Hu’s feature Black Dog.
In a statement, Manning Walker said: “It’s such an honour to return to Cannes as the President of the Un Certain Regard Jury. This selection will forever hold a special place in my heart. Being a part of it really changed my world. I am looking forward to reviewing the films at the epicentre of new cinema. Right now, more than ever, I feel that cinema is so key to bringing us together and allowing us to feel, to connect with each other. To escape, wonder and learn about each other. I look forward to working with the other jury members and engaging with these filmmakers’ worlds.”
Manning Walker gained widespread recognition for her debut feature How to Have Sex, which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes in 2023 and received multiple BAFTA nominations. Her earlier work includes cinematography on Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper and her directorial short film Good Thanks, You?, which dealt with the struggles faced by victims of sexual violence.
The other jury members bring diverse backgrounds to the panel. Courvoisier recently won the Youth Award at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section for her first feature, Holy Cow, while Croatia’s Kaludjercic is director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam and has more than two decades’ experience in the film industry. Italian director Minervini, known for blending documentary and fiction, was selected in 2024 for The Damned, and Argentinian actor Pérez Biscayart rose to prominence with his role in Robin Campillo’s BPM (Beats Per Minute), which won the Cannes Grand Prix in 2017.
The Un Certain Regard section continues to provide a platform for new voices in cinema, as part of the wider Cannes Film Festival, regarded as one of the world’s most significant gatherings for the international film industry.
The editorial unit
Cannes Film Festival 2025 takes place from 13th May to 24th May 2025. For more information, visit the website here.
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