Thierry strikes gold in Cannes

Mélanie Thierry appears on screen in Cannes in the musical Tralala as well as taking on duties as president of the Camera d’or jury Photo: Jérôme Prébois/SBS Productions

French actress Mélanie Thierry has been named as president of the 2021 Camera d’Or jury who bestow the coveted prize on a first feature film selected at Cannes Film Festival. There are 31 titles in contention.

On accepting the role Thierry said: “Nothing is as fragile or as miraculous as a first movie. This testifies to the courage and the faith of all the directors who, after such a long period of seclusion, succeeded in providing us with a window on the outside world.

Mélanie Thierry, president of the Camera d’Or jury in Cannes: 'I hope that we will give this award to a first film which shall withstand the passing of time' Photo: UniFrance

“It is a huge honour and a wonderful joy for me to be the president of the Camera d’or Jury. These are trying and uncertain times; the cinema is above all arts the most appropriate one to help us understand them. I hope that we will give this award to a first film which shall withstand the passing of time, a film directed by one of tomorrow’s greatest filmmakers.”

Thierry stars alongside Mathieu Amalric and Maïwenn in Tralala, a musical comedy by cult directorial brothers Arnaud and Jean-Maire Larrieu, which is to receive a midnight screening.

The Camera d’or, created in 1978, is awarded to the best first feature presented at the Official Selection, Critics’ Week and the Directors’ Fortnight. Aiming to support young creatives, this award acts as a career booster for filmmakers, granting them a spotlight and a door to an international exposure.

In the past, it was given to Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, Jaco Van Dormael, Naomi Kawase, Bahman Ghobadi and Steve McQueen. In 2016, Houda Benyamina won it for Divines, in 2017, Léonor Serraille for Jeune femme, in 2018 Lukas Dhont for Girl and in 2019, César Diaz for Nuestras Madres.

The Camera d’Or 2021 is to be presented during the award ceremony on Saturday, 17 July.

The rest of the jury will be confirmed shortly.

Films competing for the Camera d’or

Official Selection

• C.B. Yi - Moneyboys
• Gessica Généus - Freda
• Valdimar Jóhannsson - Lamb
• Yohan Manca - Mes frères et moi (La Traviata, my Brothers and I)
• Teodora Ana Mihai - La Civil
• Na Jiazuo - Gaey Wa’r (Streetwise)
• Laura Wandel - Un monde (Playground)
• Noémie Merlant - Mi iubita mon amour
• Maxime Roy - Les Héroïques (The Heroics)
• Wen Shipei - Are You Lonesome Tonight?

Critics’ Week / Semaine de la Critique

• Khadar Ayderus Ahmed - The Gravedigger’s Wife
• Omar El Zohairy - Feathers
• Elie Grappe - Olga
• Julie Lecoustre & Emmanuel Marre - Rien à foutre
• Simón Mesa Soto - Amparo
• Clara Roquet - Libertad
• Laura Samani - Piccolo Corpo
• Constance Meyer - Robuste
• Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet - Les Amours d’Anaïs
• Sandrine Kiberlain - Une jeune fille qui va bien
• Vincent Le Port - Bruno Reidal

Directors’ Fortnight / Quinzaine des Réalisateurs

• Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović - Murina
• Nathalie Álvares Mesen - Clara Sola
• Luàna Bajrami - Luaneshat e Kodrës (The Hill Where Lionesses Roar)
• Vincent Cardona - Les Magnétiques (Magnetic Beats)
• Ely Dagher - The Sea Ahead
• Payal Kapadia - A Night of Knowing Nothing
• Panah Panahi - Jadde Khaki (Hit the Road)
• Yassine Qnia - De bas étage (A Brighter Tomorrow)
• Alessio Rigo de Righi & Matteo Zoppis - Re Granchio (The Legend of King Crab)
• Saul Williams & Anisia Uzeyman - Neptune Frost