Congratulations to the Grad Film faculty, alumni, and MFA candidates who screened at the 79th Cannes Film Festival!
AWARDS
Dua is a feature film written and directed by Grad Film alum Blerta Basholli.
Synopsis: Prishtina, Kosovo, late 1990s. As war looms and ethnic tensions escalate, 13-year-old Dua struggles to find her place among her peers and within her changing body. After an incident shakes her community, she becomes a target herself and bonds with a fearless girl, Maki, who draws her toward an unexpected form of resistance. Between the daily violence and the growing threat of exile, there is little room for quiet awakenings.
Dua received the SACD Award at the 2026 Cannes Critics' Week (La Semaine de la Critique).
Laser Gato is a short film written, directed, and edited by Grad Film alum Lucas Acher and produced by MFA Candidate Naa Adei Mante.
Logline: After a laser pointer prank goes horribly wrong, a socially anxious teenager spends one chaotic night roaming São Paulo to save his crush’s critically injured cat, as guilt and paranoia push him toward a breaking point.
Laser Gato received First Prize at La Cinef.
PREMIERES
Clarissa is a feature film written and co-directed by Grad Film alum Chuko Erisi and edited by alum Blair McClendon. The film premiered at Director's Fortnight.
Synopsis: The film follows society woman Clarissa as she prepares to host a party at her home in Lagos, Nigeria, where she will unexpectedly encounter once-intimate friends from her youth. As the group reflects on their shared past over the course of a single night, memories of their intricate relationships, passionate love, hidden desires, and lost aspirations give rise to bittersweet reckoning.
The Man I Love is a feature film co-written by Grad Film adjunct instructor Mauricio Zacharias. The film premiered in the Main Competition.
Logline: In 1980s NYC, an artist experiences a precious window between sickness and mortality - a time when beauty and love remain within reach.
Sunday's Children is a short film written, directed, and edited by Grad Film alum Reuben Hamlyn, produced by MBA/MFA candidate Devin Carey, cinematography by alum Melanie Akoka, production design by MFA candidate Brian Goodwin, and assistant directed by alum Raha Amirfazli. The film premiered at La Cinef.
Logline: Desperate to become a father, a man spends a weekend falling for a woman who believes God has warned her never to have children.