The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as an act of solidarity with striking workers.
The Directors' Fortnight showcases a programme of shorts and feature films and documentaries worldwide.
Programming is overseen by an artistic director. The current artistic director is Julien Rejl who has programmed Director's Fortnight since 2023.
Past artistic directors include (1969âÂÂ1999), (1999-2003), Olivier Père (2004âÂÂ2009), Frédéric Boyer (2009âÂÂ2011), (2012âÂÂ2018) and (2018-2022).
In partnership with The Fondation Chantal Akerman, for the first time ever, the audience will award one of the films in the main selection with the "Audience Award" or "Choix du Public". It's the first ever official award presented by the section, since its creation in 1969:
The award was created in 2003, and highlights European productions screened at the Directors Fortnight section:
Awarded to the best French-language feature of the sidebar.