Every year at Cannes, the Queer Palm rewards a short and a feature film dealing with LGBTIQA+, feminist themes, characters, or challenging gender norms. Journalist Franck Finance-Madureira, who will be on our Documentary Jury, is behind it.
LUXFILMFEST Where did the idea for the Queer Palm come from?
FRANCK FINANCE-MADUREIRA I was inspired by the Teddy Awards at the Berlinale. As a regular visitor to both Berlin and Cannes, I believed it was a missed opportunity that the world’s biggest festival had not considered highlighting these questions. Each year, the Queer Palm awards a feature-length film and a short film from the Cannes selections (Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, la Semaine
de la critique, Directors’ Fortnight and Acid). Each year, we have the chance to discover between 15 and 20 feature films.
LFF How did you envision the framework for the Queer Palm?
F. F-M. Since its inception, we felt it was important to set up strong juries comprising film professionals representing different territories and professions. Actors like Julie Gayet, Virginie Ledoyen, Nicolas Maury and directors such as John Cameron Mitchell, Catherine Corsini, Bruce LaBruce, João Pedro Rodrigues, Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau have chaired the jury since the prize’s creation in May 2010. And, importantly, we always make it clear to the jury that while films are selected for their themes, they are rewarded for their cinematic qualities.
LFF You’ve also just launched the Queer Palm Lab. What are its aims?
F. F-M. It will be a space for experimentation, a necessary launch pad for up-and-coming filmmakers who need support, connections, and networks. Thanks to our various partners, we will annually offer support and mentorship to five first feature film projects on queer subjects or characters. Submissions are open to projects from all over the world until mid-March on our website. As this is the first edition, we are particularly excited as everything is yet to be built or imagined. The winners of the first class (2024/2025), sponsored by Belgian film-maker Lukas Dhont, will be announced at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
LFF You’re a regular on juries. What do you expect from this exercise?
F. F-M. First and foremost, to meet the members of the jury. Talking about cinema and discussing films is a particularly effective way of getting to know other people. Then, of course, there’s the selection, and that’s the surprise I’m looking for.
Interviewed by Alexis Juncosa
