Ninja Thyberg to receive award at Cannes

Ninja Thyberg. Photo by Julia Mård.

Swedish director Ninja Thyberg has received the Women In Motion Young Talent Award 2022. The annual award is handed out by Kering and the programme Women In Motion, together with the Cannes Film Festival, and is given to a female film-maker who has directed her first feature film. Thyberg's debut feature Pleasure opens in US theatres today.

The award, which includes €50,000 in financial support for her next movie project, will be presented on May 22. Ninja Thyberg was chosen by last year's recipient, Australian director Shannon Murphy.

Thyberg is no stranger to the Cannes Film Festival. Her short film Pleasure received the Canal+ Award at the 2013 Critic's Week, and her feature debut, an expansion of the short also titled Pleasure, was included in the festival's Official Selection in 2020.

– I am very honored to have been chosen to receive this award by last year's recipient Shannon Murphy. Making Pleasure was a difficult but incredibly rewarding process and I am thrilled that it is now out there for everyone to see. I was so proud when it was accepted to Cannes in 2020, and as the film didn’t get to play due to the pandemic, this award is especially meaningful to me. Thank you so much to Women In Motion for supporting female directors - and thank you for this award, says writer--director Ninja Thyberg.

Pleasure, a drama about young girl aiming to make it in the L.A. porn industry, won the Jury Prize at the Deauville Film Festival and also earned Thyberg a Best Director nomination at the Independent Spirits Awards. The film will debut i US theatres today.

Currently Ninja Thyberg is working on a remake of horror-comedyThe Witches of Eastwick, which she is set to both write and direct. The film will be shot in the US at a date yet to-be-determined.

Kering, a partner of the Cannes Film Festival, launched Women In Motion in 2015 to shine a light on women’s contribution to cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. Through its awards, Women In Motion recognizes both inspirational figures and talented young women, where the programme has been a platform for helping to change mindsets and to providing thought leadership on both the role and the recognition given to women in all areas of the arts.

Read more about Women In Motion here.

Cannes Film Festival will take place May 17–28.