NOUVELLES VAGUES-Fondation Barrière Grant

CALL FOR PROJECTS 2025

NOUVELLES VAGUES Grant – Fondation Barrière
For the development of feature-length fiction films

The Grant is an initiative of the Biarritz Film Festival – NOUVELLES VAGUES designed to support producer-director tandems in developing feature film projects that spotlight the themes, stories, and concerns of new generations, while addressing the challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s world.

Following a review of applications, a selection committee made up of film industry professionals will choose four finalist projects. Each will benefit from tailored mentorship sessions ahead of the festival to help strengthen their proposal.

These projects will be presented publicly during the 3rd edition of the Festival in Biarritz. A jury of young people will award the winning project, which will receive a €10,000 grant.

WHO IS IT FOR?

A producer-director duo developing a live-action fiction feature film project, majority French-produced, highlighting the concerns of new generations.

2025 BARRIÈRE GRANT FINALISTS

ÉCRAN TOTAL
Director: Valérie LEROY
Production: Offshore - Emmanuelle LATOURRETTE
& Les Films de Rita et Marcel - Jules RAILLARD

Pitch: Abel, 18, is spending his summer on the island of Groix with his stepmother. Hurt by his father’s constant absences, Abel feels alive only when tagging along with the local youth, caught up in free parties and political protests he pretends to embrace. The arrival of Cassandre, a 20-year-old neighbor, will upend his summer and his certainties.

YOU WILL BRING DOWN THE KINGS
Director: Maïté SONNET
Production: Quartett Productions - Ethan SELCER

Pitch: In the Grand Cru vineyards of Gironde, 13-year-old Sybille leads a carefree childhood. But when her little brother is hospitalized due to pesticide poisoning, she faces a new and terrifying fear: death. What once seemed like paradise turns to a nightmare. Luckily, life brings Margot into her path. With this new friendship, Sybille will realize that although the world is harsh, it’s still possible to find people to love — and reasons to rebel.

THE DANCERS OF STRASBOURG
Director: Zoé LABASSE
Production: Avenue B Productions - Caroline BONMARCHAND
& Kalpa Films - Tristan BERGÉ

Pitch: July 1518. Strasbourg is swept by a mysterious dancing plague. Hilde, assistant to an aging surgeon, seeks permission from the city’s Ammeister to practice in his name. As the epidemic claims its first victims, chaos offers Hilde an unexpected opportunity to finally perform dissections. But as she handles the inert bodies, an unsettling feeling overtakes her.

CHARLIE IS IN LOVE
Director: William MARTIN
Production: Take Shelter - Alexis GENAUZEAU

Pitch: Sixteen-year-old Maximilien is stuck at a remote campsite with his brother Charlie for the summer. But Charlie isn’t your average brother — he’s socially awkward, with a disarming and often embarrassing naivety. To get rid of him, Maximilien encourages Charlie to pursue Elsa, a camp counselor. What he doesn’t expect is that both brothers might fall for her.

CONTACT

Alicia Hernanz
Program Coordinator for the NOUVELLES VAGUES grant – Fondation Barrière
alicia.hernanz@nouvelles-vagues.org / 06 42 75 35 98