Cannes has put its weight behind a new class of first-time directors, unveiling seven debut-feature projects for this year’s Focus COPRO lineup.

The program, dedicated to first feature films, centers on filmmakers the selection frames as artists with bold and distinctive visions. Reports indicate the new slate includes A Summer Tale from Germany, directed by Berthold Wahjudi; Algiers Haze from France, directed by Sarra Ryma; The Zebra’s Shadow from Switzerland, directed by Gaël Kamilindi; The Woodworm from Spain, directed by Laura Obradors; and Shibboleth, a Cyprus-Greece project directed by Alexandra Matheou. The lineup also includes The Snail Automation by Thien An, while the summary signals a total of seven projects.

Cannes is using Focus COPRO to spotlight first features before they arrive, giving emerging directors a rare early platform on one of film’s biggest stages.

Key Facts

  • Focus COPRO announced seven projects tied to first feature films.
  • The selection highlights filmmakers described as having bold and distinctive visions.
  • The revealed titles span multiple countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Cyprus, and Greece.
  • The announced projects include films by Berthold Wahjudi, Sarra Ryma, Gaël Kamilindi, Laura Obradors, Alexandra Matheou, and Thien An.

The international spread matters. This is not a narrow national showcase or a single market play. Instead, the lineup suggests a deliberate push toward cross-border discovery, with projects rooted in different film cultures but gathered under one Cannes umbrella. For emerging directors, that kind of visibility can shape financing conversations, festival trajectories, and industry attention long before a finished film reaches audiences.

That also explains why this announcement carries weight beyond the trade circuit. First features often reveal where cinema moves next: new themes, new styles, new perspectives that larger institutions sometimes miss until later. By curating these projects now, Cannes signals which voices it believes deserve an earlier, louder hearing.

The next step will come as these projects seek to convert selection buzz into momentum. Industry observers will watch to see which films secure stronger backing, advance through production, and eventually land on the festival map. For Cannes, the stakes go beyond one program: this is where a major institution shows whether it can still spot the future before everyone else does.