The Caméra d’Or (“Golden Camera”) is an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film, chosen out of the various sections (Official Selection, Directors’ Fortnight or Critics’ Week).
Created in 1978 by the festival director Gilles Jacob, the prize is awarded during the event’s closing ceremony by an independent jury.
Criteria
The rules define first film as “the first feature film for theatrical screening (fiction, documentary or animation) of 60 minutes or more in length, by a director who has not made another film of 60 minutes or more in length and released theatrically.”
Directors who have previously made only student thesis films or TV films can still compete in this category. The stated aim is to reveal a film “whose qualities emphasize the need to encourage the director to undertake a second film.”
Winners
Jim Jarmusch won for Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Nana Dzhordzhadze won for Robinson Crusoe in Georgia (1987)
Mira Nair won for Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Ildikó Enyedi won for My 20th Century (1989)
Tran Anh Hung won for The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)
Jafar Panahi won for The White Balloon (1995)
Naomi Kawase won for Suzaku (1997)
Steve McQueen won for Hunger (2008)
Benh Zeitlin won for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
1970s
1978 Alambrista! Robert M. Young, U.S.
1979 Northern Lights Aurora Boreal, John Hanson, Rob Nilsson, US
1980s
Year English title Original title Director(s) Production Country
1980 Adrien’s Story Histoire d’Adrien Jean-Pierre Denis France
1981 Desperado City Vadim Glowna West Germany
1982 Half a Life Mourir à 30 ans Romain Goupil, France
1983 The Princess Adj király katonát Pál Erdőss Hungary
1984 Stranger Than Paradise Jim Jarmusch, U.S.
1985 Oriana, Fina Torres, Venezuela
1986 Noir et Blanc, Claire Devers, France
1987 Robinson Crusoe, Georgia Robinzoniada, anu chemi ingliseli Papa Nana Dzhordzhadze Soviet Union
1988 Salaam Bombay! Mira Nair, India (US)
1989 My 20th Century Az én XX. századom Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary
1990s
1990 Freeze Die Come to Life, Vitali Kanevsky Soviet Union
1991 Toto the Hero Toto le Héros Jaco Van Dormael Belgium
1992 Mac John Turturro US
1993 The Scent of Green Papaya Mùi đu đủ xanh Tran Anh Hung Vietnam
1994 Coming to Terms with the Dead, Pascale Ferran, France
1995 The White Balloon, Jafar Panahi Iran
1996 Love Serenade Shirley Barrett Australia
1997 Suzaku, Naomi Kawase Japan
1998 Slam Marc Levin, US
1999 Marana Simhasanam Murali Nair, India
2000s
2000 Djomeh Hassan Yektapanah Iran; A Time for Drunken Horses, Bahman Ghobadi
2001 Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner Zacharias Kunuk Canada
2002 Seaside Bord de mer Julie Lopes-Curval, France
2003 Reconstruction Christoffer Boe, Denmark
2004 Or (My Treasure) Keren Yedaya, Israel
2005 Me and You and Everyone We Know, Miranda July, US; The Forsaken Land, Vimukthi Jayasundara, Sri Lanka
2006 12:08 East of Bucharest, Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania
2007 Jellyfish, Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen Israel
2008 Hunger Steve McQueen UK
2009 Samson and Delilah, Warwick Thornton, Australia
2010s
2010 Año Bisiesto Michael Rowe, Mexico
2011 Las Acacias Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina
2012 Beasts of the Southern Wild Benh Zeitlin US
2013 Ilo Ilo, Anthony Chen Singapore
2014 Party Girl Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis France
2015 Land and Shade, César Augusto Acevedo, Colombia
2016 Divines Houda Benyamina France
2017 Montparnasse Bienvenue Jeune femme Léonor Serraille
2018 Girl Lukas Dhont Belgium
2019 Our Mothers, Nuestras madres César Diaz, Guatemala
2020s
2021 Murina Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović; Croatia
2022 War Pony, Riley Keough and Gina Gammell, U.S.
2023 Inside Yellow Cocoon Shell, Bên trong vỏ kén vàng Pham Thien, Vietnam
2024 Armand, Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, Norway
2025 The President’s Cake, Hasan Hadi Iraq, Qatar, U.S.
Special Mention Winners (Mention Spéciale)
In some years, films that didn’t win the award have received special mention for outstanding quality; the prize is also called Mention or Caméra d’Or, Mention d’honneur.
1989 Waller’s Last Trip, Christian Wagner, Germany; The Birth, Shaji N. Karun, India
1990 Time of the Servants, Irena Pavlásková, Czechoslovakia; Farendj, Sabine Prenczina, France
1991 Proof, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Australia; Sam & Me Deepa Mehta, India
1993 Friends Elaine Proctor South Africa
1994 The Silences of the Palace, Moufida Tlatli Tunisia
1995 Denise Calls Up Hal Salwen United States
1997 The Life of Jesus La Vie de Jésus Bruno Dumont France
2002 Japón Carlos Reygadas Mexico
2003 Osama Siddiq Barmak Afghanistan
2004 Passages, Yang Chao China
Bitter Dream, Mohsen Amiryoussefi, Iran
2007 Control Anton Corbijn Netherlands
2008 Everybody Dies but Me, Valeriya Gai Germanika Russia
2009 Ajami, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, Israel
2022 Plan 75 Chie Hayakawa Japan
2024 Mongrel 白衣蒼狗 Wei Liang Chiang and You Qiao Yin Taiwan
2025 My Father’s Shadow (CdO) Akinola Davies Jr. UK, Ireland, Nigeria
