Critics’ Week prizes for The Pack and Aftersun

Roll-out starts of this year’s Cannes big hitters

by Richard Mowe

The Pack is set in an experimental centre for youngsters in the Colombian tropical forest
The Pack is set in an experimental centre for youngsters in the Colombian tropical forest Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Critics' Week

As the Cannes Film Festival starts gearing up for the main awards ceremony on Saturday prizes and awards from other sections of the festival have started to emerge.

The Jury of the 61st Critics’ Week, presided over by the director Kaouther Ben Hania, have awarded the Grand Prize to The Pack (La Jauría) by Andrés Ramírez Pulido, set in an experimental centre for minors in the Colombian tropical forest and the director’s debut feature.

New York-based Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells has won the French Touch Prize of the Jury to Aftersun, which looks back at a father-daughter holiday at a Turkish resort in the 1990s and stars Paul Mescal.

Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio in Critics' Week winner Aftersun by Charlotte Well
Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio in Critics' Week winner Aftersun by Charlotte Well Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Critics' Week

Wells has said: “Living and having gone through film school in the US, I feel very fortunate that I come from a place where there is a national funding body and there is robust support for debuts and early stage filmmakers.”

The Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for short film has gone to Ice Merchants by João Gonzalez.

Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award has been given to the youthful star of Love According to Dalva, Zelda Samson, a first feature by director Emmanuelle Nicot. Samson in astonishing first performance plays a girl abused by her father.

Other awards comprise Gan Foundation Award for Distribution to assist Urban Distribution, the French distributor with the release of The Woodcutter Story (Metsurin tarina) by Mikko Myllylahti

An SACD Award scored another plaudit for Pulido, the writer of La Jauría.

The Canal + Award for short film On Xerxes' Throne by Evi Kalogiropoulou.

This was the first Critics’ Week selection under the helm of new artistic director Eva Cahan.

Share this with others on...
News

The changing light Yoon Dan-bi on music, sound, Moving On and The World Before

Flipping the script Ghasideh Golmakani on using absurdist comedy to tackle misogyny in Head To Head

Spotlight on forgotten history Miwa Nishikawa on telling the story of post-war street orphans in Children Untold

A compulsion for cinema Thomas Bond on the secret of being a producer, the value of flaws, and Imposters

Streaming spotlight: off with their heads! Hold onto your noggin as we reflect on characters who have lost theirs entirely

More news and features

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival.



We're looking forward to Fantastic Fest, San Sebastian and Beyond Fest.



We've recently brought you coverage of the Venice Film Festival, Frightfest, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Locarno Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Muslim International Film Festival and Docs Ireland.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


Venice announces winners


LFF Full programme announced


Venice Giornate degli Autori awards announce


Festival Scope Venice Sala Web offers chance to stream shorts for free


San Sebastian Naomi Watts to receive Donostia Award