Cannes: ACID Sidebar Unveils 2025 Lineup

The 2025 line-up for the sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival’s ACID section, organized by the French independent cinema association l’ACID, was revealed on Tuesday. This year’s program begins with “The Adventura” (originally titled “L’aventura”), a French family drama directed by actor Sophie Letourneur and starring herself and Philippe Katerine as the parents of young children embarking on a summer road trip to Italy.

2025’s dramatic offerings from ACID (Artists’ Collecting International Distributors) also encompass a diverse array of titles. Among them is “Drunken Noodles,” directed by U.S.-based Argentinian filmmaker Lucio Castro, which draws loosely on the life of artist Sal Salandra; “The Black Snake,” helmed by French director Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux, a tale of a man who reunites with his dying mother in the Colombian Tatacoa Desert after years apart; “Lauren in the Wind,” directed by trio Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture, and Mattéo Eustachon, which follows a 29-year-old seeking purpose in life; the crime drama “Entroncamento” from Portuguese director Pedro Cabeleira; and “A Light That Never Goes Out,” a Finnish production directed by Lauri-Matti Parppei, featuring Samuel Kujala as a classically trained flutist grappling with perfectionism after a breakdown.

This year’s ACID documentaries encompass:

1. “Place Your Soul on Your Hand And Walk” by Iranian-French director Sepideh Farsi, which offers a glimpse into daily life in Gaza during the Israeli military campaign through her video conversations with a young woman residing in Gaza.

2. “Life After Siham”, an exploration by Namir Abdel Messeeh into his own family history, traversing France and Egypt.

3. “Nuit Obscure – Ain’t I A Child” directed by Sylvain George, focusing on Moroccan teenagers navigating life on the streets of Paris.

1992 saw the birth of ACID, an organization that takes pride in identifying and nurturing emerging film directors. Notable figures such as Justine Triet (of “Anatomy of a Fall”), Guy Maddin (“My Winnipeg”), and Radu Jude (“Bad Luck Banging, Or Looney Porn”) were among its early discoveries, having started their successful careers under ACID’s guidance.

ACID 2025 Program

1. The Adventure (L’Aventura) – Director: Sophie Letourneur
2. The Black Serpent (La Couleuvre Noire) – Director: Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux
3. Intoxicated Strands (Drunken Noodles) – Director: Lucio Castro
4. Junction (Entroncamento) – Director: Pedro Cabeleira
5. Laurent in the Gale (Laurent Dans Le Vent) – Directors: Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture, Mattéo Eustachon
6. Life Beyond Siham (Life After Siham) – Director: Namir Abdel Messeeh
7. The Light That Endures (A Light That Never Goes Out) – Director: Lauri-Matti Parppei
8. Dark Night – Aren’t I Innocent? (Nuit Obscure – Ain’t I A Child?) – Director: Sylvain George
9. Place Your Soul on Your Hand and Tread (Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk) – Director: Sepideh Farsi

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2025-04-15 10:54