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| Top, from left: Harry Lighton, Emma Branderhorst, Joecar Hanna; Bottom, from left: Saulė Bliuvaité, Oliver McGoldrick, Mansi Maheshwari Photo: Chris Harris/Dick-van-der-Lecq/Francesc Planes/Aris Rammos/Andrewy Francis/DR |
The Pillion filmmaker along with McGoldrick, who is working on his first feature Barnyard, alongside Dutch director Emma Branderhorst (This Will Not End Well, Spaniard Joecar Hanna, Lithuanian Saulé Bliuvaité (Toxic), Mansi Maheshwari, from India, and Oliver McGoldrick are the six new directors welcomed to the 51th session of La Résidence du Festival de Cannes.
From March 16 to July 31, 2026, they will reside in Paris where they will benefit from a personalised screenwriting residency program and a collective programme of meetings with film professionals.
Lighton said: "Getting a spot in La Residence is beyond exciting. Other filmmakers I know who've done it rave about it. It means I can block out five months to knuckle down to writing my next script, and getting to do that in Paris... are you kidding me?! Magnifique. I hope to come away with a script, some new filmmaker pals, and a Parisian husband."
McGoldrick added: "I’m thrilled to join the 51st session of La Residence, a dream opportunity to focus solely on the writing of my first feature film over the next four-and-a-half months. I look forward to developing my project and exchanging ideas with my fellow residents, as well as drawing inspiration from Paris and the legacy of all the filmmakers who came before me."
Since its creation, La Résidence has supported more than 250 filmmakers from about 60 countries, including Michel Franco (April's Daughter), Nadav Lapid (Synonyms), Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine As Light) and Lukas Dhont (Close).
