NFTS Celebrates Landmark Double La Cinéf Selection At Cannes Film Festival 2026 As The Only UK Entries
Two student films from the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS) - Left Behind, Still Standing and animated short Pickled, have been selected for world premieres at La Cinéf at Cannes Film Festival 2026, the prestigious competition spotlighting the world’s most promising emerging filmmakers. The films were two of 19 selected from film schools globally and are the only entries from the UK.
Additionally, NFTS graduate and director Clio Barnard's I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning has been selected for Cannes Director's Fortnight, one of the only UK features part of this year's line-up.
This rare double selection at La Cinéf builds on the NFTS’ exceptional track record at Cannes, marking the first time the School has achieved a dual entry since 2015 and 2005. Continuing its upward trajectory at Cannes, it marks the sixth consecutive year NFTS films have featured at La Cinéf and follows the landmark selection of first-year student film Ether in 2025.
The achievement is further underscored by the continued success of the student team behind last year’s entry Ether, with director Vida Skerk, producer Dóra Gálosi, sound designer Vicente Molder and editor Maria Luisa Munhoz returning to Cannes for a second year in a row. Since La Cinéf’s creation in 1998, NFTS has had more films selected than any other institution worldwide.
In addition to Ether, other recent La Cinéf selections include Bunnyhood (2024), Killing Boris Johnson (2023), Spring Roll Dream (2022) and Other Half (2021), with Left Behind, Still Standing and Pickled now joining this prestigious line-up.
Left Behind, Still Standing was created by an international team of filmmakers and crew in their final year at the NFTS, led by director Vida Skerk and produced by Dóra Gálosi. The film explores themes of displacement, labour and belonging. When the steel factory she’s working to dismantle comes back to life one night, immigrant Morana must face the fragility of her own existence – and how much she truly has in common with the laid-off workers.
Vida Skerk on the set of Left Behind, Still Standing
The eight-minute stop-motion animation Pickled explores a deeply personal story of family legacy, capturing both the joy it brings and the weight it can carry. Also created as a final year project, it was directed by Fanny Capu and produced by Dóra Gálosi. The vision for the film involved inventive stop-motion solutions, from using scrunched camera gels instead of real liquid and glass to animate over 2,000 handmade green jars, to crafting highly expressive puppets with hand-sculpted features, multiple replacement faces and movable hair and joints to bring emotional depth to the characters.
Fanny Capu on the set of Pickled
NFTS Director Jon Wardle commented: “To have two films selected for world premieres at La Cinéf in the same year is a truly outstanding achievement. It speaks to the sheer talent of our students and graduates and the collaborative environment at the NFTS. We couldn’t be prouder to see this new generation of filmmakers already making a significant impact internationally.”
Having recently graduated from the NFTS in March 2026, Dóra Gálosi, producer of Left Behind, Still Standing and Pickled, has now secured an incredible third credit at the Cannes Film Festival. She said: “I feel incredibly honoured and proud that I worked on two films selected for the La Cinéf programme. Collaborating with both filmmaking teams was a true adventure, and I learned so much about filmmaking and about myself as a producer during the process. This year is also very special, because Vida Skerk and I are returning to Cannes after our first-year film Ether, premiered there in 2025, marking the first time a non-graduation film was selected in the NFTS’s history. I couldn’t be more proud of both film teams, whose dedication and professionalism were essential in bringing Left Behind, Still Standing and Pickled to life.”
Director and co-writer of Left Behind, Still Standing Vida Skerk, whose film Ether was selected in 2025, also returns to Cannes for the second year in a row, making her the first NFTS director in the school’s history to be chosen for La Cinef twice. She added: “Left Behind, Still Standing came from a very personal need to process feelings of displacement and the ways people and communities are left behind. At its heart, it’s about finding solidarity in difficult circumstances, and I’m incredibly proud that this story, shaped by such a diverse and international team, has been recognised by Cannes. I'm honoured to be given the opportunity to attend the festival once again this year. The whole crew worked incredibly hard to make this film, and I am very happy that I get to share the joy of such wonderful recognition with these incredibly talented collaborators.”
Director of Pickled, Fanny Capu commented: “Pickled explores the emotional weight of what we inherit from those we love, and how honouring that legacy can sometimes feel overwhelming. While it’s rooted in my own experiences, I hope it speaks to something universal about the pressures and possibilities facing a new generation.”
- Explore the films
Left Behind, Still Standing
NFTS Crew
Director Vida Skerk
Producer Dóra Gálosi
Screenwriters Vida Skerk, Tommy Hurst
Cinematographer Kaysar Kasim
1st AC Vittoria Maiolo
2nd AC Harrison Griffiths
Production Designer Maria Coogans
Production Manager Bailey Hamilton
Production Coordinator Daniyela James
Assistant Directors Jonas Ackermann, Jess Lawley, Gabriella Steel
Production Sound Mixer David John Crouch
1st Assistant Sound Adam Burkholder
Editor Rafael Luis Fernando
Sound Designer Vicente Molder
Composer Dominic Carrington
Sound Effects Editor Mingxi Xu
Colourist Nidhi Kullu
Online Editor Rafael Luis FernandoSynopsis: When the steel factory she’s working to dismantle comes back to life one night, immigrant Morana must face the fragility of her own existence - and how much she truly has in common with the laid-off workers.
Pickled
NFTS Crew
Director/Animator/Puppetmaker Fanny Capu
Producer Dóra Gálosi
Screenwriters - Written by Silas Thomas based on a story by Fanny Capu with Chanse Campbell
Cinematographer Hayley Grant
Production Designer Rosie Crisp
Production Managers Emitayo Awofala, Sam Buckler
Coordinating Modelmaker Chloe Rushbrook
Modelmakers (Key Props) Alfie Strudwick, Beatrice Babbo, Cristian Ciumac, Lizzy Kelsey, Emma Tanner, Isabel Carpenter, Maddie Stringer, Rahab McQueen, Rita Castelo Branco, Robby Baldwin, Yaxxy Wong
Editor Maria Luiza Munhoz
Sound Designer/Dubbing Mixer Fran Christie Burke
Composer Dominic Carrington
VFX Supervisor Michael Crookes
Colourist Guy Chackarov
Online Editor Maria Luiza MunhozSynopsis: All Eddie has ever known is her granny’s world, where they pickle everything around them, preserving their family history forever. But when granny joins their ancestors, Eddie has to decide if she’ll continue their tradition, or live for herself.
Left Behind, Still Standing and Pickled will premiere at the 29th edition of La Cinéf in Cannes on Thursday 21st May at the Buñuel Theatre.