YDA Celebrates 25 Years and Announces Winners at Cannes

YDA President, François Chilot and Rikke Katborg @YDA

One week ago the YDA celebrated its 25th Birthday in Cannes. During the festival, the event was attended by some of the best and brightest in a new generation of filmmakers at the YDA's Winners Screening at the Cinéma Olympia and Afterparty at the Radisson Blu. 

In the cinema, the YDA showed all of this year's Gold Screen Award-winning films and announced all of the Silver Screen Winners, which can be viewed on the YDA website. 

As the screening began, YDA President, François Chilot, took to the stage to introduce the YDA in its 25th year: "25 years, it sounds like a long time, but it doesn't feel like a long time to me."

The screening opened with a montage film of all the Gold Winners from 2021, cut by Union Editorial.

Next up was the Born To Create Drama film, made for the YDA, directed by Frank Ychou and produced by Cédric Barus and Pierre Cazenave of Paris-based production company SOLDATS. 

Co-editor of shots magazine and member of the YDA team, Danny Edwards, said of the film: "[it is a] brilliantly anarchic look at a film set on which there is a megalomaniacal, all-powerful director, some unusual cast members, a team overwhelmed by events and a version of 'the greatest story ever told'. 

2022 YDA Chair, Anna Hashmi, was next to the stage to introduce this year's Jury Presentation Film, directed by Lea Thurner and produced by Bacon. 

Hashmi headed up a jury of 44 industry professionals from 24 different countries, who took time to watch and evaluate the record number of submissions received by the YDA this year.

Of this year’s award, she said: "The passion and hard work that goes into putting this show together to celebrate young talent, keeping it fresh and interesting and alive, is just amazing." 

(L-R) YDA 2022 Chair Anna Hashmi, Arthur Studholme, Gold Screen Award-Winner for the Best Use of Humour Category, Jury Member Loren Bradley @ FINCH, and YDA President, François Chilot

This year the YDA jury voted on two Special Jury Films: 

- BINGE LOVING directed by Thomas Deknop and produced by Bea Catteuw at DENZZO

- Heiki On The Other Side directed by Kateriina Aule and produced by Andreas Kask at Nafta 

At the end of the screening, everyone made their way to the terrace of the Radisson Blu hotel to collect trophies and celebrate the hard work of all the filmmakers as the Sun set over the sea. 

To view all of this year's winning films, Gold, Silver and Special Jury Awards, click here.