The Pop Up Film Residency has selected eight participants who will be taking part in residencies across Europe this summer. The program’s latest cohort was announced during an event Tuesday at the Cannes Marché du Film’s Village Innovation.
Since launching in 2018, the Pop Up Film Residency has offered more than 150 artistic residencies to filmmakers from around the world. A uniquely collaborative initiative created by and for filmmakers, each residency offers an individualized mentorship program tailor made for one specific project.
Most offer a three-week onsite residency, together with follow-up mentoring over the course of at least the following year. A global initiative, the Pop Up Film Residency boasts a network of hosts active in Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
“What amazes me most about this new batch of residencies is the sheer global reach we’ve all built together,” said Matthieu Darras, CEO of Tatino Films and founder and director of the Pop Up Film Residency.
She added: “In a single season, we have an Iranian filmmaker developing his project in Paris, a Japanese director landing in France for the first time, a Rwandan Swiss filmmaker hosted in Lithuania, a Palestinian voice finding space in Rome, a Canadian director working on the shore of an Italian lake, Slovenian genre filmmakers heading to Bratislava and the Swedish islands, a Lithuanian filmmaker travelling to the Faroe Islands and a producer from Ethiopia reaching Slovakia to exchange with fellow producers.
“This is what our network actually looks like,” Darras continued. “The strength of Pop Up Film Residency has always been its people: the hosts who welcome the filmmakers in their countries, the partners like CNC, Eurimages, VIPO and the Slovenian Film Center who trust in a model built on depth rather than volume, and above all the filmmakers who bring their most urgent stories and allow us to accompany them through their cinematic journey.”
Here are the filmmakers who were selected for summer 2026 residencies:
Pop Up Film Residency CNC 2026
“Shooting Stars”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “Shooting Stars” (Iran)
Director: Parsa Ansari
Logline: Expelled from university for activism, the director revisits childhood memories with his grandmother, reigniting his filmmaking passion. His focus shifts from UFOs to real aliens: “starred students,” victims of a hidden purge in Iran’s academia.
The Pop Up Film Residency CNC 2026 is dedicated to supporting Iranian filmmakers in the development of their feature film projects. Ansari will be hosted in Paris by Franco-Chilean screenwriter Antonia Girardi.
Pop Up Film Residency Emerging Producers 2026
“The Fortunate”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “The Fortunate” (Ethiopia)
Producer: Nahusenay Dereje
Logline: In the close-knit town of Dante, Pastor Mateyos, secretly battling alcoholism, wins a car in a beer-sponsored lottery. His struggle intensifies when Tare, a rebellious motorcyclist and fellow alcoholic, discovers the pastor’s secret and seeks to use the car for his own dream.
The Pop Up Film Residency Emerging Producers is organized in partnership with Jihlava IDFF and open to European documentary emerging producers. Dereje will be hosted in Bratislava, Slovakia by director Ivana Hucikova.
Pop Up Film Residency Eurimages 2026
“Beaver Song”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “Beaver Song” (Lithuania/France)
Director: Alanté Kavaïté
Logline: A sensory, coming-of-age film blending live action and animation that follows a young girl driven by an urgent need to act and desires that overwhelm her in a world that is falling apart.
The Pop Up Film Residency Eurimages is organized in partnership with Eurimages and open to experienced European women filmmakers. Kavaïté will be hosted in Faroe Islands, Denmark by producer Jón Hammer.
Pop Up Film Residency Japan Film Frontier 2026
“Child, Uninvited”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “Child, Uninvited” (Japan)
Director: Mai Nakanishi
Logline: When a pregnant woman opens her door to a starving, neglected little girl, buried traumas resurface, unraveling her fragile sense of motherhood and driving her toward a haunting moral dilemma that could destroy them both.
The Pop Up Film Residency has teamed up with VIPO to launch its latest initiative, the Pop Up Film Residency Japan Film Frontier. The 2026 residency aims to support Japanese filmmakers and give them the chance to experience a residency outside their home country. Nakanishi will be hosted in Paris.
Pop Up Film Residency Focus CoPro 2026
“The Zebra’s Shadow”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “The Zebra’s Shadow” (Rwanda/Switzerland)
Director: Gaël Kamilindi
Logline: At a rave, Pacifique is overwhelmed by a traumatic flashback that begins to reveal a troubled past. As fragments of buried memories resurface in his dreams, he embarks on a deeply personal journey and sets out for Rwanda — a place where history has tried to erase him.
The Pop Up Film Residency Focus CoPro is open to short filmmakers developing feature debuts highlighted by Cannes’ Short Film Corner and Rendez-vous Industry by Cinéma de Demain. Kamilindi will be hosted in Vilnius, Lithuania by producer Marija Razgute.
Pop Up Film Residency Next Wave Genre Slovenia 2026
“Forbidden Fruit”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “We Are Still Screaming” (Slovenia)
Director: August Braatz
Logline: A darkly comic, emotionally raw road movie about two siblings trying — despite everything — to understand each other and find meaning in a world that often feels overwhelming.
Title: “Forbidden Fruit” (Slovenia) (pictured)
Director: Urška Djukić Lecamus
Logline: Amid the Black Death, a pregnant healer accused of witchcraft finds refuge in a Carthusian monastery. Her healing skills soon prove invaluable, but her wild, curious nature unsettles the monks as an evil count threatens to destroy anyone who dares protect her.
The Pop Up Film Residency Next Wave Genre Slovenia is organized in partnership with the Slovenian Film Center and open to Slovenian writers, directors, writer-directors and producers currently developing feature genre film projects. Braatz will be hosted in Bratislava, Slovakia by director Ivana Hucikova. Lecamus will be hosted in Fårö Island, Sweden by director Helen Beltrame-Linné.
Pop Up Film Residency On Demand
“Reverend”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “Reverend” (Canada)
Director: Harley Chamandy
Logline: A former Formula One world champion turned Catholic priest in the Swiss Alps finds his faith tested when he meets an enigmatic Tibetan waitress who awakens long-buried desires.
The Pop Up Film Residency on Demand is open to filmmakers with an already established body of work of at least two features written and/or directed, or similar filmography; and who usually cannot benefit from new talent-supporting schemes. Chamandy will be hosted in Lago, Italy by Lago Film Festival director Viviana Carlet.
Pop Up Film Residency Wildcard
“America is Behind the Door”
Courtesy of Pop Up Film Residency
Title: “America is Behind the Door” (Palestine)
Director: Laila Abbas
Logline: A claustrophobic, darkly comedic domestic drama about a Palestinian family in an American suburb who move closer to U.S. citizenship while Gaza burns, revealing an intimate portrait of Palestinian life unfolding inside the decay of the American dream.
The Pop Up Film Residency Wildcard is designed to support exceptional film talents from countries in a state of political unrest. Abbas will be hosted in Rome by producer Giovanni Pompili and his company Kino Produzioni.
