The Unifrance Short Film Awards ceremony took place on Tuesday, May 19, in Cannes, on the Unifrance Terrace. The 2026 selection (more than 170 films were received for the preliminary selection) included 18 titles. The selected films can be found here.
The 2026 jury members:
- Lucie Canistro – Sooner
- Delphine Jeanneret – Locarno Film Festival, Winterthur International Short Film Festival
- Julia Kowalski – film director
- Gilles Reunis – Be TV (Belgium)
- Dian Weys – film director, recipient of the 2025 Unifrance Short Film Award
🏆 And the winner is... 🏆
Swapper, directed by Louis-Barthélemy Rousseau, produced by Aurora Films (Charlotte Vincent, Katia Khazak) was awarded the 2026 Unifrance Grand Prix.
The film
A credit card thief roams the streets of Paris in search of her victims. With each encounter, she charms them by assuming new identities. Over the course of a tumultuous night, she will test her limits.
The director
Louis-Barthélemy Rousseau is a French director and screenwriter born in Paris in 1993. His first documentary short film, Early Winter, received the Première Fenêtre Award at the Cinéma du Réel in Paris. His next two short films, How Many Will Dance on Your Tongue and Mannequin Zéro, were screened at the Amiens International Film Festival, Queer Lisboa, and Bogoshorts.
All the awards
Grand Prix: Swapper by Louis-Barthélemy Rousseau
Jury statement: The jury commends this portrait of a modern-day vampire whose mysterious journey holds up a mirror to our consumer society. Thanks to the actress’s performance, the sharp dialogue, and the direction, the film unsettles the viewer and leaves much to the imagination.
Production co.: Aurora Films
Special Jury Prize: Chambre 206 by Laurie Bisceglia
Jury statement: The jury praises this debut film, a powerful and joyful portrait that delicately breaks free from stereotypes. There is a genuine sense of a long-established bond between Laurie and Clair, which shines through right up to the final shot.
Production co.: PADEL Productions • Distributor: Manifest
Be TV Award: Breath by Luis Letailleur
Juror statement: I chose to honor Luis Letailleur’s film Breathe for Paul Kirsher’s performance, but also for the directorial choices—particularly the decision to shoot many scenes with a handheld camera to stay as close as possible to the characters. This gives the film a unique dynamic. I also really liked the theme of the teenager finding his way, particularly through a former passion of his father’s, which sets off a chain reaction and potentially allows this dysfunctional family to find balance again.
Production co.: La Petite Prod • Distributor: Manifest
SOONER Award: Sea Sun and Burn by Pauline Cancel
SOONER applauds this body horror film, which is as unsettling as it is delightful, and which explores the trials of adolescence and the transition to adulthood with humor and tenderness. The changing body is examined in minute detail, transforming the initial unease into a sensual and unsettling fascination.
Production co.: Mondina Films
The 8th Short Film Distributor Award
The Unifrance Short Film Awards ceremony also serves as an opportunity to recognize a distributor’s international distribution efforts and approach.
In their shared commitment to promoting French creativity internationally, championing the short film format, and spotlighting emerging talent, Unifrance and La Fête du court métrage join forces for the eighth consecutive year to highlight, guide, and support the artistic vision of a distribution company, both through its efforts to promote films at international festivals and through its approach to increasing their visibility in commercial distribution channels.
Following a call for submissions to which seven distribution companies responded, the jury—composed of Melen Bouëtard-Peltier, TV and Inflight Sales at The Party Film Sales, Cécile Cadoux, Head of Programming at the Entrevues Belfort Film Festival, and Marine Gaillard, Distribution Manager at the Film and Series Division at the Institut Français, decided to give the 2026 Distributor Award to Shortcuts (Élise Notseck and Lucie Goujon).
Jury statement: "The jury congratulates the Shortcuts team on an exceptional year, marked by bold choices that have succeeded in winning over both audiences and industry professionals, in France and internationally. We hope this award will encourage them to remain confident in the uniqueness of their vision and in their ability to take risks that allow them to create distribution strategies that are both inventive and well-informed for each of their films.”
A Special Mention was awarded to La Kourmétragerie. “The jury would like to congratulate and commend the work of Kourmétragerie, an organization whose expertise has become indispensable to the promotion of Reunionese cinema at the local, national, and international levels. The sincerity and consistency of the distribution project, led by a tremendously dynamic organization, seem to us to be a guarantee of a bright future.”
This award comprises subtitling funding provided by the Institut français for one film from the company's catalog.
Media Gallery
© Loïc Thébaud / Unifrance
© Loïc Thébaud / Unifrance
