Carla Simón © David Ruano / Salim Kechiouche © Matthieu Dortomb / Park Ji-Min © Marie Rouge / Unifrance / Magnus Von Horn © Kacper Żywicki / Ali Asgari © Amir Naseri
Screenwriter and director Carla Simón will preside over the short films and La Cinef Jury of the 79th Festival de Cannes. She will be flanked by actress and visual artist Park Ji-Min, director, screenwriter and producer Ali Asgari, actor and director Salim Kechiouche and director and screenwriter Magnus von Horn. Together, they will award the Short Film Palme d’or and the 3 La Cinef prizes, the Festival de Cannes’ selection dedicated to student films.
The Jury will discover the 10 films in the Short Film Competition and the 19 films in La Cinef Selection.
“A short film is a whole universe. In just a few minutes it can leave a lasting mark forever. Created in freedom, driven by artistic risk, and above all infused with soul, it reconnects me with the essence of cinema and the excitement of first times. Even for those who work in feature filmmaking, the short form remains a vital space for experimentation and renewal. I am deeply honoured to serve as President of the Short Films and La Cinef Jury, and grateful for the opportunity to discover new voices and be transformed. Returning to Cannes is, once again, an adventure, a dream and a privilege.”
Carla Simón, President of the short films and La Cinef Jury
JURY MEMBERS OF THE SHORT FILMS AND LA CINEF
CARLA SIMÓN - President
Screenwriter & directorSpain
Born in 1986 in Barcelona, Carla Simón grew up in a small village in Catalonia. She studied audiovisual communication at the University of California and at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She later received the Obra Social – La Caixa scholarship, which enabled her to study at the London Film School. She made several short films, including two experimental works, Women (2009) and Lovers (2010), co-directed with filmmaker Marco Businaro, followed by two further films in London: the documentary Born Positive (2012) and Lipstick (2013). She went on to direct Las pequeñas cosas (2015), Llacunes (2016), If Then Else (2019), Correspondencia (2020), and Carta a mi madre para mi hijo (2022). She is also involved in film education for children and teenagers through the association “Cinema en Curs”. Her first feature film, Summer 1993 (2017), an autobiographical work shot in the rural region of La Garrotxa where she grew up, received numerous awards, including three Goya Awards and a nomination at the European Film Awards and was selected as Spain’s submission for the Academy Awards. Having become one of the leading voices of contemporary Spanish cinema, Carla Simón received the Golden Bear at the Berlinale for her second feature, Alcarràs (2022). The film was selected at more than 90 international festivals, represented Spain at the Academy Awards, and won six Gaudí Awards. Her third feature film, Romería (2025), inspired by her own personal history, was presented in the Competition at the Festival de Cannes.
@ David Ruano
PARK JI-MIN
Actress & visual artistFrance
Born in Seoul into a family of Korean artists, Park Ji-Min moved to France at the age of nine. She studied at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris before dedicating herself to the visual arts. She made her film debut in Return to Seoul (2022), by Davy Chou, presented in the Un Certain Regard section, and earned her a César nomination for Most Promising Actress. In 2024, she appeared in the series La Maison, directed by Fabrice Gobert and Daniel Grou. The following year, she starred in three films presented at the Festival de Cannes: The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi (nominated for Best Supporting Actress), Love Me Tender by Anna Cazenave Cambet (Un Certain Regard), and A Private Life by Rebecca Zlotowski (Out of Competition). She will star in Christophe Honoré’s next feature film, Orange-Flavoured Wedding, which will be presented this year at the Cannes Première section.
© Marie Rouge / Unifrance
ALI ASGARI
Director, screenwriter & producerIran
Ali Asgari is a leading figure in Iranian cinema. His works offer a precise portrait of contemporary Iranian society. His short films include More Than Two Hours (2013), selected at the Cannes, The Baby (2014),The Silence (2016), which was in Competition for the Short Film Palme d’or. His first feature film, Disappearance (2017), was developed at La Résidence of Le Festival de Cannes, the Cinef. He later co-directed Until Tomorrow (2022) and Terrestrial Verses (2023), presented in the Un Certain Regard section. His most recent film, Divine Comedy (2025), premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
© Amir Naseri
SALIM KECHIOUCHE
Actor & directorFrance
Born in 1979 in Lyon, Salim Kechiouche is a French actor and filmmaker. He made his debut at fifteen in Full Speed (1996) by Gaël Morel, with whom he later worked on Three Dancing Slaves (2004) and After Him (2007). From the late 1990s, he worked with directors such as François Ozon (Criminal Lovers, 1999), Mehdi Ben Attia (The String, 2010) and Abdellatif Kechiche in Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013), winner of Palme d’or at Cannes, followed by Mektoub My Love (2017, 2019, 2025). He also appeared in the series Ganglands, Ourika and A Prophet. In 2023, he made his directorial debut with L’Enfant du Paradis, inspired by the tragic fate of his friend, actor Yasmine Belmadi. He stars in L’Enfant bélier by Marta Bergman and will soon appear in Bin u Bin, ailleurs la frontière by Mohamed Lakhdar Tati.
© Matthieu Dortomb
MAGNUS VON HORN
Director & screenwriterSweden
Having spent his childhood in Sweden, Magnus von Horn studied film in Poland at the Leon Schiller National Academy of Film Arts, where he is currently also teaching. He began his film career by directing several short films that were screened at festivals between 2007 and 2011. In 2015, he released his first feature film, The Here After, which explores the reintegration of a former prisoner into society. He continued his career with Sweat (2020), which explores the excesses of social media and received the Cannes 2020 label. In 2025, The Girl with the Needle was premiered in Cannes in Competition, and nominated for the Golden Globes and the Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category.
© Kacper Żywicki
