CELEBRATING SIX YEARS OF SPOTLIGHTING WOMEN FILMMAKERS AT THE FESTIVAL DE CANNES
L’Oréal Paris champions women’s empowerment in cinema through a privileged relationship with the actress ambassadors who embody the values of the brand. L’Oréal Paris goes further in supporting women in cinema with the Lights on Women’s Worth Award. Launched in 2021, the prize aims to rebalance inequality in the movie industry. Underrepresented in the global film industry, only 17% of those in directorial positions on leading films are women, and just 25% of those behind-the-scenes. In response, L’Oréal Paris created the yearly Lights on Women’s Worth Award which includes a €20,000 donation and full support ecosystem for promising female short-film directors.
Laetitia Toupet, Global Brand President, L’Oréal Paris, adds, "Worth is not a given. It is a journey L'Oréal Paris has been leading for over 50 years. And in that journey, cinema plays a vital role. It shapes society. It gives women role models, inspiration, permission to take their rightful place. But for those stories to exist, women must be the ones telling them. That is exactly why the Lights on Women's Worth Award exists and celebrates its sixth edition. Six years of standing beside a bold new generation of female filmmakers. Six years of saying: every story matters."
THE L’ORÉAL PARIS FAMILY RETURNS TO CANNES
L’Oréal Paris has announced the sixth annual winner of the Lights on Women’s Worth Award, chosen among the Short Film Competition and La Cinef’s selection. Lenti Liang, from China, took the top honor for her 15-minute film, Our Secrets, from the 16 selected short films. The film depicts Tian Tian, a teenage girl in early spring in Guangzhou, who begins to sense a quiet awakening of desire bringing her to something far from what she had imagined.
La Cinef forms part of the Official Selection and the selected films are presented to La Cinef and Short Films Competition Jury which awards a prize to the best three at an official ceremony. Each year more than 2,000 student films are sent to La Cinef, a testimony of the diversity and dynamism of the young international cinematographic creation. Since 1998 more than 410 films from more than a hundred schools in the world have been selected.
Actress and L’Oréal Paris ambassador, Gillian Anderson, choose this year’s winner and announced her name during a special prize ceremony at the Cinéma de Demain dinner held at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2026. In recognition of her accomplishment, Lenti Liang will receive financial support and dedicated mentoring from L’Oréal Paris. Multi-award-winning actress, writer, and tireless activist, Gillian Anderson was this year, for the first time, the Lights on Women’s Worth juror, succeeding Viola Davis, Elle Fanning and Kate Winslet.
“It’s been an honor to join L’Oréal Paris in Cannes for their Lights on Women’s Worth Award and a privilege to judge this year’s short film entries. Each filmmaker has created something so unique and special. Choosing just one has been incredibly difficult. It was ultimately Lenti Liang’s ‘Our Secrets’ that is this year’s winner, a beautifully mature, sensitive and nuanced piece of work. Congratulations to all the amazing women celebrated; your stories resonated deeply and will stay with me for a long time.” says Gillian Anderson, L’Oréal Paris and juror of the 2026 Lights on Women’s Worth Award.
Beside Lenti Lang’s movie, Gillian Anderson also gave a special mention for the work of Mathilde Bédouet in The Last Spring and Fanny Capu for Pickled.
ABOUT THE AWARD
Only 17% of directors of leading global films are women—and just 25% of behind-the-scenes creatives. The Lights On Women’s Worth Award was created to help change that. Each year, the winner receives a €20,000 grant and mentorship support from L’Oréal Paris.
A LEGACY OF EMPOWERMENT
Six years. Five unforgettable stories. Countless voices inspired. The Lights On Women’s Worth Award has honored rising talent from across the globe—each winner selected not only for their creative excellence, but for their ability to tell bold, resonant stories. These short films have gone on to win 50 awards and earn more than 220 international selections.
LIGHTS ON WOMEN’S WORTH AWARD WINNERS
To date, the Lights on Women’s Worth Award has celebrated six exceptional filmmakers from around the world, each bringing powerful, thought-provoking stories to life. The first five short films have been officially selected over 250 times at international film festivals and have garnered a total of 60 awards.
Lenti Liang for Our Secrets, 2026 Lights on Women’s Worth Award Winner: In early spring in Guangzhou, Tian Tian, a teenage girl, begins to sense a quiet awakening of desire. What follows drifts away from what she had imagined.
In her 30-minute film titled "First Summer, South Korean filmmaker Heo Gayoung, depicts Yeongsun, a woman who wants to attend her boyfriend Haksu’s 49th-day memorial service rather than her granddaughter’s wedding.
Viv Li, Across the Waters (2024)
A quiet mining town, a curious teen, and a new world of sound — Viv Li’s coming-of-age story captures the joy of unexpected discovery.
Fatima Kaci, The Voice of Others (2023)
A French-Tunisian interpreter’s inner conflict comes to light in this moving meditation on language, identity, and empathy.
Mai Vu, Spring Roll Dream (2022)
Described as “exquisite” by juror Kate Winslet, this Vietnamese short is a delicate tribute to family and tradition.
Aleksandra Odić, Frida (2021)
The inaugural winner explores a powerful connection between nurse and patient in a moment of quiet intimacy.
