Project Showcase: Genre Voices at Cannes 2026

Presented by Yes She Cannes as part of the Women in Genre programme with the Fantastic Pavilion

As part of the Yes She Cannes Women in Genre programme at Cannes 2026, co-hosted with Etheria Film Festival and Wench Film Festival, this curated Project Showcase brings together filmmakers, production companies and genre voices working across horror, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy and elevated genre cinema.

Presented within the wider ecosystem of the Fantastic Pavilion, the showcase highlights projects at different stages of development, production, festival positioning and release. Each project has been selected for its creative identity, market potential, and contribution to the evolving genre landscape.

Rooted in a mission to champion women in film, the programme embraces women and allies, recognising that meaningful change in genre requires visibility, authorship, collaboration and access across the industry.

Featured across our panel and cocktail event, the showcase creates space to discover new work, build relationships, and connect with projects shaping the future of genre cinema.

Howard J Ford

Director & Producer, Latitude Films

Howard J Ford is an award-winning filmmaker with a career spanning independent features, studio-backed releases and over 300 commercials. His work has reached global audiences through platforms and distributors including Paramount, Sony and Netflix.

His latest feature, Bone Keeper, starring Sarah Alexandra Marks and John Rhys-Davies, continues his focus on commercially driven genre storytelling with strong female leads and international audience appeal. With previous work including The Ledge, Never Let Go and Escape, Ford brings a proven track record in survival thrillers, action-led narratives and globally marketable genre cinema.

Focus at Cannes: Expanding international visibility for Bone Keeper and connecting with distribution and sales partners.

Jo Southwell

Director, Writer & Executive Producer, Mermaid Pictures

Jo Southwell is an award-winning director working across high-end television, feature film, immersive formats and emerging screen technologies. Her work includes Call the Midwife, alongside award-winning shorts screened at BAFTA, BIFA and Oscar-recognised festivals.

Through Mermaid Pictures, Jo is developing a slate driven by female perspective, environmental tension, systems of power and cinematic world-building. Her upcoming feature The Catch, written by Emily Barr and Craig Barr-Green and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ben Miles, Omid Djalili and Lizzie Aaryn-Stanton, is an elevated horror set on the Cornish coast, where obsession, rivalry and myth collide in the hunt for a rare mythical delicacy.

Focus at Cannes: Building international partnerships, expanding visibility for The Catch, and positioning Mermaid Pictures within the global genre market.

Andy Edwards

Writer, Director & Producer, Paranoid Android Films

Paranoid Android Films is a UK production company specialising in provocative, visually striking genre cinema. The company is committed to championing new and underrepresented talent both in front of and behind the camera.

Following the success of Rumpelstiltskin, which won Best Thriller and Best Producers at the UK National Film Awards, the company continues to expand its slate with new projects in post-production, including Fairy Dust and Wolf Soldiers, alongside further productions planned.

Focus at Cannes: Securing sales and distribution partnerships, building new creative collaborations, and connecting with investors for future genre projects.

Joseph Archer & Cathy Wippell

Director & Co-Founder (Archer) | Writer & Co-Founder (Wippell), Silicon Gothic

Joseph Archer and Cathy Wippell are the creative duo behind Silicon Gothic, a UK-based genre production company specialising in films that “monstify” modern issues, transforming social, political and environmental concerns into bold, cinematic horror and thriller narratives.

Their debut feature Snapshot, directed by Archer and written by Wippell, is a female-led elevated horror mystery set in London in 1888, during the Whitechapel murders. Shot entirely in a unique pinhole camera style, the film reimagines the Jack the Ripper narrative through the eyes of women while exploring misinformation, truth and manipulated perspective.

Starring: Tom Stourton (100 Nights of Hero), Cathy Wippell, Hazel Rogers, Nadia Lamin (Host, Feed Me), Lydia Helen (The Little Mermaid) and Rosie Bella-Johnson. Featuring Ishtar Currie-Wilson (The First Omen) and Freya Parks (This Town). 

Their upcoming feature Black Samphire, starring Cathy Tyson and Stephen Fry, continues their focus on impact-driven genre filmmaking, blending environmental themes with folk horror.

Focus at Cannes: Connecting with festivals, sales agents, distributors and future collaborators while establishing Silicon Gothic as a distinctive voice in impact-led genre cinema.

JOHN LANGRIDGE & RENATO PIERS

Writer, Director & Producer (Langridge) | Producer & Actor (Pires), Drop Dead Films

Charlie Shaw’s Revenge is a new horror feature from Drop Dead Films, written and directed by John Langridge, and produced by John Langridge and Renato Pires. The film follows a group of workers preparing to reopen a remote adventure park on the brink of bankruptcy, only to find themselves stalked by a silent killer. Cut off from rescue, they must fight to survive while uncovering the truth behind Charlie Shaw.

The project reflects Drop Dead Films’ focus on character-driven horror, thriller and action. With a proven production model, an in-house writing team and a slate of award-winning work, the company is building a strong presence in UK independent genre cinema. Charlie Shaw’s Revenge has already gained traction on the festival circuit and secured distribution for a 2026 release.

Focus at Cannes: Promoting the upcoming release, connecting with international partners, and opening conversations around future investment, sales and co-production.

Sylvie Zaidman

Writer, Director & Producer, Our Way Movies

Sylvie Zaidman is a multi-award-winning filmmaker whose work explores the future of human life, technology and society through a sci-fi lens, with a focus on how technological progress shapes human behaviour and our understanding of reality.

Her award-winning sci-fi short tRUTH, which imagines life in 2050 if technological advancement continues at its current pace, has received over 35 international festival awards. The project is now being developed into a feature-length film, building on its strong concept and continued audience and festival recognition.

Focus at Cannes: Finding partners for the feature-length version, increasing visibility for the short, and connecting with collaborators interested in future-facing sci-fi storytelling.

INTRODUCING FROM STUDIO DOME: Kristina Klebe

Writer, Director & Producer, Wolf Kitten Pictures

Kristina Klebe is an actor, writer, director and producer working across horror, psychological suspense and independent genre cinema. Through Wolf Kitten Pictures, she is developing personal, female-led stories that push against formula while embracing emotional truth, darkness and resilience.

Her debut feature Noxturne follows a world-renowned pianist whose life is shattered after a devastating accident leaves her wheelchair-bound and dependent on her younger boyfriend as both caregiver and companion. As isolation deepens, disturbing visions, fractured memories and dangerous obsessions blur the line between reality and nightmare. Drawing from Klebe’s own recovery following a life-altering spinal injury, the film explores bodily vulnerability, control, desire and identity through a distinctly female lens.

Focus at Cannes: Raising visibility for Noxturne, introducing Wolf Kitten Pictures to the international market, and connecting with audiences, partners and genre platforms aligned with bold female-led storytelling.

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These projects will be presented as part of Women in Genre: Shaping Careers, Opening Doors & Building Power, hosted at the Marché du Film, creating space for connection across the international industry.

Panel

May 16, 2026, 3:30-4:30pm

-1 Palais Stage, Palais de Festivals

(Open to all accredited attendees)

Cocktail Reception

May 16, 2026, 6:00–7:00 PM

Fantastic Pavilion, Palais des Festivals

(Invitation only)

The panel is open to all accredited attendees, while the cocktail reception is by request.

With limited capacity, priority will be given to those looking to engage directly with the projects and Supporting Partners featured in the showcase.