DUBAI: Cate Blanchett returned to the Cannes Film Festival this week to unveil the second cohort of filmmakers selected for the Displacement Film Fund, a global initiative supporting stories shaped by migration, exile and forced displacement.
The Oscar-winning actor and UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador appeared at Cannes alongside US Palestinian comedian and filmmaker Mo Amer and acclaimed Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir, whose projects are among five new films selected for the initiative. Also joining the 2026 cohort are filmmakers Akuol de Mabior, Bao Nguyen and Rithy Panh.
First announced during UNHCR’s Global Refugee Forum and officially launched last year, the fund supports filmmakers whose work explores displacement and identity through short-form cinema. Each selected director will receive a production grant of $116,000, with the completed films premiering at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2027.
“Our first round of DFF shorts have been met with huge enthusiasm from both the industry and our partners, while challenging expectations about what stories of displacement can look like on screen,” Blanchett said, according to Variety. “The short form is a fantastic medium for these narratives.”
