The Cannes Critics’ Week has announced the seven international filmmakers and three composers selected for the third edition of its Next Step II program, which will take place from October 8 to 15 in Corsica. The initiative, supported by Sacem and the CNC in collaboration with the Casell’arte cultural center, aims to strengthen the creative bond between directors and composers from the earliest stages of film development.

Among the selected participants stands out Chilean filmmaker Felipe Gálvez, based in Paris, who will present Impunity, a Spanish- and English-language spy thriller set in 1998 around the arrest of dictator Augusto Pinochet in London. The film is a co-production between Rei Pictures (UK-Spain), Quiddity Films (UK), Les Films du Worso (France), Snowglobe (Denmark), and Ronda Cine (Chile). Gálvez previously made his debut with The Settlers, which premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section in 2023 and was Chile’s official submission for the 2024 Academy Awards.

The program also includes second features by Graham Foy (Radio Radio), Mikko Myllylahti (The Mystery Of The Autumn Killer), Cristele Alves Meira (Joe), and Michael Borodin (Seven Roads), as well as debut films by Yannick Casanova (Fortunatu) and Jela Hasler (To Put Out One Fire). According to Next Step director Thomas Rosso, the goal is to provide support for both first and second films, highlighting that many filmmakers return after the success of their debuts.

The selected composers are Harry Allouche, a previous collaborator of Gálvez on The Settlers; Camille Delafon, nominated for the European Soundtrack Awards; and Pierre Leroux, who composed the score for Baise-En-Ville, presented at this year’s Critics’ Week. Program consultants include screenwriters Delphine Agut, Marie Amachoukeli, and Julie Peyr, along with music supervisor Étienne Tricard and international sales expert Agathe Valentin.

The workshop will also feature masterclasses with Jonathan Millet (Ghost Trail), Alexe Poukine (Kika), and Pierre Desprats, composer of Kika and Wonderwall. Since its creation in 2023, Next Step II has supported projects that are now reaching festivals or entering production, consolidating its role as a unique platform for the joint development of screenplay and music in independent cinema worldwide.