Cannes Screenplay List Unveils Jury Comprising Mounia Meddour, Funa Maduka, Camille Griffin (EXCLUSIVE)
The Cannes Screenplay List, an initiative backed by the talent platform Wscripted in partnership with MUBI, will be back for a third edition at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film.
An international jury comprising filmmakers Mounia Meddour (“Papicha”, “Houria”), Funa Maduka (“Waiting for Hassana”), and Camille Griffin (“Silent Night”) will sift through submitted feature scripts from women and non-binary writers.
More from Variety
Disney's 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Planning Cannes Festival Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
The Weeknd's HBO Series 'The Idol' Eyes Cannes Film Festival Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
The final List of top scripts will be presented to producers during during the Cannes Marché du Film, in collaboration with MUBI.
Meddour made her feature debut “Papicha” in 2019 which played to acclaim at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and went on to win two Cesar Awards for best first film and female newcomer Lyna Khoudri. Her sophomore outing, “Houria”, is a tale of sorority about a dancer’s dream to join the Algerian National Ballet. The lushly lensed film, which reteams Meddour with Khoudri, debuted in French theatres on March 15 and has been sold to many major territories by Wild Bunch International.
“With ‘Houria,’ I hope to inspire more women to tell the story of ambivalent, complex female characters in films,” said Meddour. “The work of the Cannes Screenplay List is very important to discover more stories by female filmmakers.” Speaking to Variety, she says there’s “still a long way to debunk misogynistic stereotypes and biais in society so having more women and non-binary writers write their own stories is the best way to help change perceptions.”
Maduka, meanwhile, is a Nigerian filmmaker who is the former head of international original films at Netflix. She was recently a jury member at Sundance 2023 in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Griffin is a British filmmaker best known for her horror drama “Silent Night” starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Lily Rose Depp, which premiered at Toronto.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Mounia, Funa, and Camille as our first all-female filmmaker jury to shape the curation of the List,” says Ellie Jamen, CEO of Wscripted. “With the Cannes Screenplay List, we want to shift the story paradigm in cinema and highlight stories that share a different lens on women and underrepresented populations.”
Wscripted first introduced the Cannes Screenplay List in 2021. With over 56 feature scripts nominated from writers based in France, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Europe, the selection has featured the scripts of French screenwriter Nathalie Marchak (“Les Siffleurs”) and American-Egyptian filmmaker Dina Amer who debut feature “You Resemble Me” was executive produced by Spike Lee, Riz Ahmed, and Alma Harel.
MUBI has been a longtime supporter of female filmmakers, with special programming during Women’s month, including films from Sarah Polley and Léa Mysius.
Wscripted is now accepting applications for the 3rd edition of the Cannes Screenplay List through April 7 for original feature scripts in English and French.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
