2026 Edition
The Jury
KRISTEN STEWART
President of the Jury - American actress and director
For its 4th edition, the Biarritz Film Festival - NOUVELLES VAGUES is honored to entrust the presidency of its Jury to actress and filmmaker Kristen Stewart. Leading a jury composed of international personalities and artists, she will discover the films of the International Feature Film Competition, whose central theme - stories of youth - lies more than ever at the heart of the Festival.
At the Biarritz Film Festival - NOUVELLES VAGUES, youth is seen as a state of the world: a moment of effervescence, transformation and creation, where we build, question and invent in dialogue with the issues of our time.
Kristen Stewart fully embodies this spirit. Actress and filmmaker, she belongs to a generation of artists redefining the contours of contemporary cinema. From her breakthrough beginnings to her collaborations with leading figures of independent film, she has built a singular career shaped by bold choices.
Through her independence, her appetite for risk and her artistic freedom, Kristen Stewart naturally reflects the spirit that drives the Biarritz Film Festival - NOUVELLES VAGUES: celebrating a young, vibrant cinema in constant reinvention.
NATHAN AMBROSIONI
French director, screenwriter and editor
Nathan Ambrosioni, born in 1999, began his career at age 15 by directing two self-produced genre films that were selected for numerous international film festivals (Brussels, Los Angeles, Montreal, etc.).
In 2016, he shifted gears with the short film Ce qui nous reste, then directed his first feature film, Paper Flags, in 2017 with support from the CNC.
In 2023, he took another significant step by co-writing and co-directing Toni with Camille Cottin, which won three awards at the Festival du film de demain. Their collaboration continued with the film Out of love (2025), which was acclaimed by both audiences and critics and won awards at Karlovy Vary and Angoulême.
SUZY BEMBA
French actress
After making her breakthrough in Kandisha by Bustillo and Maury, Suzy Bemba went on to star in the series L’Opéra, alongside Ariane Labed and Raphaël Personnaz. In 2023, she appeared in Poor Thingsby Yorgos Lanthimos, which won the Golden Lion at Venice, and then in Homecoming by Catherine Corsini, which was presented in the official competition at Cannes. She also stars in Anthony Chen’s Drift, which premiered at Sundance.
She appears in the TV adaptation of the cult game Loups-Garous on Canal+, as well as in the series Le Sens des choses by Noé Debré and Benjamin Charbit. She will soon appear in the remake of Cliffhangerdirected by Jaume Collet-Serra alongside Pierce Brosnan and Lily James, as well as in Le Joueur by Élie Wajeman, alongside Pio Marmaï and William Lebghil.
CAROLINA CAVALLI
Italian director and screenwriter
Carolina Cavalli is an Italian screenwriter and director from Milan. Her debut feature film, Amanda, premiered in 2022 at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.
She is the recipient of the San Francisco Film Society’s Rainin Fellowship for the feature film Fremont, which she co-wrote with director Babak Jalali. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023 and at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. As co-writer, she won the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2024.
Her second feature film, The Kidnapping of Arabella, premiered in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Best Actress Award, and at the BFI London Film Festival. It will soon be released in the United States.
ESMÉ CREED-MILES
British actress
Esmé Creed-Miles is an English actress, writer, and director who will next star opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones in Georgia Oakley’s Sense and Sensibility for Focus Features and Working Title. She recently wrapped production as the lead of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s A Head Full of Ghosts opposite Rebecca Hall for Lionsgate.
Last year she co-starred in Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, opposite Imogen Poots and Tom Sturridge, which premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
She is best known for starring in Amazon’s Hanna opposite Joel Kinnaman.
ISHAAN KHATTER
Indian actor
Ishaan Khatter first made a name for himself with his critically acclaimed debut in Beyond the Clouds, followed by Dhadak, A Suitable Boy and Pippa. His series The Royals became a global hit, reaching the Top 10 in 58 countries—a first for an Indian series on streaming platforms on this scale.
He makes his Hollywood debut in The Perfect Couple alongside Nicole Kidman. His most memorable moment came with Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, which premiered at Cannes 2025 (Un Certain Regard) to a nine-minute standing ovation, then screened at TIFF, closed the Biarritz Film Festival – NOUVELLES VAGUES, and was selected as India’s official entry for the 2026 Oscars.
Ishaan Khatter is also featured on Forbes Asia’s “30 Under 30” list.
WHITNEY PEAK
Canadian actress
Whitney Peak, born in 2003, grew up in Uganda and Canada, where she developed a passion for the stage, dance, and sports at a very young age. Her acting career began after she heard a Disney casting call on the radio.
She gained international recognition with a role in Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game, alongside Idris Elba and Jessica Chastain. Determined not to be typecast, she moves effortlessly between genres, appearing in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the Gossip Girl reboot, Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2, and the action film Trap House.
She is now set to take on one of the lead roles in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, marking another major milestone in her career.
RAPHAËL QUENARD
French actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and author.
Raphaël Quenard began his career in theater and short films before gaining recognition for his role in the series HP (2018–2022). He went on to appear in Quentin Dupieux’s Mandibles, Giovanni Aloi’s The Third War, and Emma Benestan’s Fragile, before coming to the attention of a wider audience in season 3 of the series Family Business. In 2022, he starred in Michel Hazanavicius’s Final Cut, Quentin Dupieux’s Smoking causes coughing, and Cédric Jimenez’s November. The following year, he made a notable appearance in Jeanne Herry’s All your faces. He then won in 2024, the César Award for Most Promising Actor for Jean-Baptiste Durand’s Junkyard Dog, and was also nominated for Best Actor for Quentin Dupieux’s Yannick.
In 2025, he made his directorial debut with the mockumentary I Love Peru. He has just finished filming his second movie, with Azedine Kasri, titled Mystik. Most recently, he starred in the film The American Dream, alongside Jean-Pascal Zadi.
Vassili Schneider
French actor and director
Vassili Schneider is an actor for film and theatre. La plus belle fille du monde is his first film as a director.
Short Films Jury
Anthony Bajon
Anthony Bajon gained recognition in 2018 with The Prayer (La Prière), a performance that earned him the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival. He has since established himself as one of the most talented actors of his generation. Noted for his performances in In the Name of the Land, Athena, Le Monde de demain, Junkyard Dog, and Beating Hearts, he has taken on a series of memorable roles across both auteur cinema and mainstream productions. In 2025, he directed his first short film, La Grande Ourse. In 2027, he will appear in Les Princes du BTP by Antoine Giorgini, Ma révérence by Maxime Roy, and Clean by Tristan Séguéla.
Galatea Bellugi
Born into a family of artists, Galatea Bellugi first gained recognition with Keeper and later The Apparition (L’Apparition), a performance that earned her a nomination for the César Award for Most Promising Actress. Noted for her roles in Golden Youth (Une jeunesse dorée), Junkyard Dog (Chien de la casse), and Gloria!, she further confirmed her talent in The Girl in the Snow (L’Engloutie, 2025), where she carries the film as a young schoolteacher confronted with life in an isolated Alpine village. She is now regarded as one of the most distinctive actresses of her generation.
Gohar Martirosyan
Martirosyan is a filmmaker and digital artist based in Paris, originally from Gyumri, Armenia. She studied at Le Fresnoy – France’s National Studio of Contemporary Arts. Her work draws on XR technologies, immersive media, and archival materials to reconstruct inaccessible territories shaped by geopolitical conflicts and ecological crises. Through virtual environments and satellite imagery, she explores landscapes as active entities, revealing buried histories and invisible forces. Her work has been exhibitedinternationally and extends across film, virtual reality, and installation art.
Sami Outalbali
Born in 1999, Sami Outalbali has established himself as one of the most promising young French actors.
Breakthrough roles in Sex Education brought him international attention, and he went on to consolidate his reputation in Mortel and An Easy Girl (Une histoire d’amour et de désir), for which he received the Best Actor Award at the Angoulême Film Festival. He later appeared in November, Middle Class (Classe moyenne), and will soon be seen in Johnny, continuing a notable rise in French cinema.
SEB
SEB is an author, director, editor and producer. A leading figure on YouTube for more than a decade, he has built a community of 10 million subscribers and accumulated over 2 billion views. Through travel documentaries, investigative reports and immersive storytelling, he has developed a distinctive creative universe that blends curiosity, humourand a sensitive perspective on the world.
Pass Culture Jury
LÉONARD AUBRY
Léonard was born in Colmar in 2005 and currently lives in Paris. He developed a passion for cinema at a very early age: from the age of 8, he was making short films with his brother on his father’s iPad, before going on to create short films throughout middle and high school. He later joined a film school and became a member of the pass Culture film club.
ROSE BELLECOUR
Rose Bellecour, 18, was born in Paris and grew up in the Basque Country. Now a cinema student on a preparatory course in Toulouse, she has harboured a deep passion for the big screen since childhood. She is now developing her skills behind the scenes, in production and as a script supervisor. A loyal supporter of the festival since its very first edition, she is now delighted to be able to take part as a member of the jury.
CAMILLE COMMINGES
Camille, 20, originally from Mont-de-Marsan, was introduced to various art forms from a very young age: like theatre, dance and piano. Passionate about Formula 1 and musicals, she develops an analytical perspective on everything she discovers. For her, cinema is a way of connecting with people, thanks to the emotions and exchanges it inspires.
LOU DIEGUEZ
Lou, 20 years old, has always lived in Lille. From a very young age, she has been passionate about sports and performing arts. As a teenager, she developed a passion for cinema. She watches lots of films and hopes, in turn, to create within this world. As a film studies undergraduate, she spends her free time directing, acting, watching films, and volunteering at festivals.
ELIE DOXARAN-DUPLESSIS
Elie was born in 2005 in Saint-Palais, in the Basque Country. He grew up between Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Bayonne, and Biarritz. He’s passionate about cinema since the age of 10, and he has also been practicing theatre. As soon as he got hold of a camera, he started making mini-films, short films and YouTube videos. He is now studying at Sciences Po Toulouse.
ETHAN LAGARDERE
Ethan, 19, lives in Anglet and is studying engineering in Bidart. Sociable, curious and positive, he is interested in art in all its forms but finds cinema his favourite medium of expression, a passion he continues to nurture through local film festivals.
NDÈYE-GUÈTE NDAO
Ndèye, 20, is from Montataire in the Oise region and is studying Sports Science. She is passionate about travel, sport and spending time with her loved ones, particularly during family film nights. She has been competing in gymnastics since the age of 5 and explores creative forms of expression through video content, particularly around fashion and lifestyle.
AXEL OYHANTÇABAL
Originally from the Basque Country, Axel is currently studying political science and law. Curious and open-minded, he is particularly interested in the variousrepresentations that shed light on issues of international justice. Cinema plays a significant role in his daily life, allowing him both to reflect on his aspirations and to escape.