Critics' Week

Critics' Week (French: Semaine de la critique), until 2008 called International Critics' Week (Semaine internationale de la critique), is a parallel section to the Cannes Film Festival organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. It was created in 1962 after the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics's successful campaign for Shirley Clarke's The Connection to be screened at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. Critics' Week's objective is to discover and support new talents, showcasing first and second feature films by directors worldwide. Bernardo Bertolucci, Philip Kaufman, Ken Loach, Tony Scott, Agnieszka Holland, Leos Carax, Wong Kar-wai, Guillermo del Toro, Jacques Audiard, Arnaud Desplechin, Gaspar Noé, François Ozon, Andrea Arnold, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Julia Ducournau, all began at Critics' Week. Critics' Week presents a selective program of seven feature films and seven short films in Cannes in order to provide them greater visibility. Journalists and films critics are invited to vote after each screening of the selection, after which the Grand Prize is awarded. Feature films also run for the SACD Prize for best screenplay and the ACID Prize, which helps films get distribution. In 2012, the France 4 Visionary Award (Prix Revelation) was introduced to reflect "the cinephile's passion for young talent" in the film industry. Short films can receive the Canal+ Award for best short film and the Kodak Discovery Award. The first feature films also run for the Caméra d'Or. Notable jury presidents have included Cristian Mungiu, Joachim Trier, Valérie Donzelli, Ciro Guerra and Kleber Mendonça Filho.