FIJA opens its 3rd edition at the Majestic Passy with Jaime Rosales’s Morlaix

Friday 17 April 2026, 7pm at the Majestic Passy (Dulac Cinémas)

The International Young Actors Festival begins its third edition with distinctive cinema and human encounters. The opening ceremony will take place on Friday 17 April 2026 at 7pm at the Majestic Passy, one of the landmark cinemas of the Dulac Cinémas network, in Paris’s 16th arrondissement. The jury of each competition will attend alongside the team of the opening film. A cocktail reception reserved for FIJA accreditation holders will close the evening.

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The opening film: Morlaix, by Jaime Rosales

Morlaix is released in French cinemas on 15 April 2026, just two days before its opening screening at FIJA, making the evening a film event in its own right.

Shaken by the recent death of her mother, young Gwen finds comfort with her friends and her boyfriend Thomas. But the arrival of Jean-Luc, a student with a magnetic charm, throws her feelings into confusion. One day, as if to guide her choice, Gwen stumbles upon a film in a cinema that reveals her future life.

An experimental film

Morlaix is Jaime Rosales’s first feature film shot in French. The screenplay, co-written with Fanny Burdino, is set in Brittany and explores the bond that forms between two young people facing loss, loneliness and the passage into adulthood.

The constant shifting between different worlds is the most striking feature of the film, which had its world premiere in the Harbour section of the Rotterdam Film Festival. Combining black-and-white images with colour sequences, with cinematography by Javier Ruiz Gomez, Morlaix is, in the director’s own words, “the freest and most experimental film he has made to date.”

In the very particular conditions of its making, Rosales gave himself over to a genuine artistic adventure “guided by inspiration”, with no set plan and no certainty of having a film at the end. The result is a sentimental, melancholy tale, stretched between adolescence and adulthood, between choice and fate: a film within a film, in which cinema itself becomes a character.

The film’s team

The cast brings together Aminthe Audiard in the lead role, alongside Samuel Kircher, Mélanie Thierry and Àlex Brendemühl. Cinematography is by Javier Ruiz Gomez. Morlaix is produced by Iwaso Films and distributed in France by Condor Distribution. 

The director: Jaime Rosales

After studying economics and screenwriting for film and television, Jaime Rosales won a scholarship in 1996 to study directing at the San Antonio de los Baños film school in Cuba. In 2001 he founded the production company Fresdeval Films. His filmography – Solitary Fragments (2007), Petra (2018), The Wild Sunflowers (2022) – makes him one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Spanish cinema. The project was born during a promotional trip for Petra: the director recalls feeling “a deep and concrete desire to make a film” in this Breton town with its striking geography, despite having no personal connection to it.

The juries of the 3rd edition

Feature Film Jury

The feature film jury brings together nine personalities with complementary backgrounds, from established figures of arthouse cinema to actors working at the crossroads of popular and more demanding art forms.

Jean-Christophe Bouvet

An actor and screenwriter with a prolific career, he has worked with great directors – Claude Chabrol, François Ozon, Maurice Pialat, André Téchiné, Jean-Luc Godard, Sofia Coppola – bringing a subtle, thoughtful style of acting. He currently shines in the hit series Emily in Paris (Netflix) as Pierre Cadault.

Cyrille Thouvenin

Discovered in Confusion of Genders, which earned him a César nomination for Most Promising Actor, Cyrille Thouvenin has built a rich career across film, television and theatre. A demanding performer, he excels in historical dramas and contemporary works alike, bringing a magnetic presence to every role.

Mehdi Meskar

A multilingual actor with an international career spanning major productions and arthouse cinema. Discovered in Les Engagés and noticed in Arnaud des Pallières’s Orphan and Franck Dubosc’s Un ours dans le Jura, he brings intensity and a rare sensitivity to complex characters.

Anne-Élisabeth Blateau

A leading actress and playwright, Anne-Élisabeth Blateau became familiar to a wide audience through her role as Emma in the series Scènes de ménages. Coming from the theatre, she brings a distinctive comic talent that she also puts to work as a writer and director, notably with her series Mère indigne.

David Mora

An instantly likeable actor, David Mora made his name on television in the iconic duo he forms in Scènes de ménages. With solid experience on stage and in short films, he moves with ease between popular comedy and more personal film projects.

Esther Rollande

A young actress on the rise, Esther Rollande stands out for the precision and sensitivity of her acting. She has taken on a string of promising projects, notably a striking role in La Pampa, confirming her as a breakthrough talent of new French cinema.

Firmine Richard 

An iconic figure of French cinema, Firmine Richard was discovered in Coline Serreau’s Romuald and Juliette before shining in François Ozon’s 8 Women. A Knight of the Legion of Honour, she is a respected actress known for her deep voice and warm presence, committed in film and theatre alike to a fairer representation of diversity.

Lola Le Lann 

The daughter of trumpeter Éric Le Lann and actress-director Valérie Stroh, Lola Le Lann was discovered at just 19 in Jean-François Richet’s One Wild Moment, where her modern screen presence was immediately apparent. An all-round artist, she pursues her acting career in film and television while also thriving in music, with a bold and melancholy artistic world.

Dominique Pinon

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s favourite actor and a figure of genre cinema, Dominique Pinon is instantly recognisable by his expressive face. He was discovered in The Return of Martin Guerre and through his collaborations with Jeunet on Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Alien Resurrection and Amélie. Winner of the Molière for Best Actor in 2004, he has built a prolific international career, moving brilliantly from the strange to the tragic.

Short Film Jury

Théo Fernandez Jury President

Born in Toulouse in 1998, Théo Fernandez started drama classes at the age of six. Known to a wide audience for his role as Donald Tuche in Les Tuche, he is also committed to teaching, having co-founded the acting school anyone:, a FIJA partner.

Octave Gerbi

A promising young actor, Octave Gerbi stands out for his bright, natural presence on camera. With a growing number of notable roles in film and television, he is one of the faces to watch on the new French scene.

Gavril Dartevelle

Noticed for the precision and intensity of his acting, Gavril Dartevelle stood out in powerful works such as Happening and the series Germinal. His distinctive charisma and his ability to embody complex characters make him increasingly sought after by arthouse filmmakers.

Kahina Lespert Rolland

A passionate and versatile actress, Kahina Lespert Rolland is building a demanding career across film and television projects. With great sensitivity, she brings a striking authenticity and energy to each of her roles, confirming her rise within her generation.

Ferdinand Redouloux 

With an instinctive yet precise style, Ferdinand Redouloux stands out for his ability to move between registers. Whether in dramas or contemporary stories, he brings a solid and promising signature as an actor, playing an active part in the renewal of French cinema.

Pass Culture Jury

Dominique Frot  Jury President

A singular and essential figure of the French arts scene, Dominique Frot is an actress and stage director with an impressive career: more than 100 films and countless plays, working with the greatest creators. She chairs the Pass Culture jury, dedicated to film school shorts, with the commitment that runs through all of her work.

See you on 17 April

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