Arnaud Desplechin will open the Festival de Cannes with Les Fantômes d'Ismaël. He was at La Semaine de la Critique in 1991 with La Vie des morts.
François Ozon, selected for the Official Competition with L'Amant double, was part of la Semaine de la Critique in 1996 with his short A Summer Dress and again in 1998 with his feature Sitcom.
Alejandro González Iñárritu selected for his virtual reality installation Carne y arena, was at La Semaine de la Critique in 2000 with Amores perros.
Santiago Mitre, winner of the Nespresso Grand Prize 2015 for Paulina, selected in Un Certain Regard with his latest film La Cordillera!
This year, two Nespresso Grand Prize winners return to Cannes since Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza, winners of the 2013 Prize, will open La Semaine de la Critique with Sicilian Ghost Story.
Finally, A Ciambra, one of the first films supported by Next Step is selected for the 49th Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. Its director, Jonas Carpignano, revealed at La Semaine de la Critique with his eponymous short film who won the Discovery Prize then with his first feature Mediterranea.