Sony and Cannes Critics Week have announced a new partnership under which the Japanese-owned company will sponsor the parallel section’s €4,000 Discovery Prize for Short Film.
Critics’ Week, which is focused on first and second films and emerging talent, showcased 13 short films, selected from more than 2,300 submissions in 2025, with the Discovery Prize going to L’mina by Randa Maroufi.
The company said supporting the award chimed with its decades-long collaboration with the film industry, with tools designed by cinematographers, for cinematographers and filmmakers.
“Supporting Critics’ Week and its Discovery Prize is a natural part of our commitment to encouraging young talent and unleashing the power of stories told through images,” said Florence Quintin, Cine & Video Marketing Lead, Sony Europe.
The prize, previously sponsored by German lens manufacturer Leitz, has also feted the early work of the likes of Juliana Rojas (A Stem), Gitanjali Rao (Printed Rainbow), Jacqueline Lentzou (Hector Malo: The Last Day of the Year), and João Gonzalez (Ice Merchants).
The 65th edition of Critics’ Week will be held from May 13 to 21, 2026, with its selection due to be announced on April 13.
