Aina Clotet, winner of the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award of the 65th La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes
21/05/2026
Awarded to an actor or actress from among the seven feature films in competition, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award aims to recognise a performer for one of their first appearances on screen or for a particularly memorable role in their career.
The jury of La Semaine de la Critique awarded the Louis Roederer Foundation Revelation Prize to Aina Clotet for her role in Viva, which she also directed.
Viva will be released in theaters on October 14, 2026.
Aina Clotet captures all the complexities and dizzying challenges of the need to live fully in the present, in the face of illness. She explores the fragility and doubts, the intuition and the determination of a will to live, whatever the cost.
Synopsis
After coming face to face with death, 40-year-old Nora is consumed by an urgent need to feel alive. She dives into passionate relationships with two very different men, Tom and Max, whose opposing natures reflect her own inner conflict. But when neither can fill the void, Nora is forced to face the truth: she will have to confront a deeper fear driving her hunger for life.
I devoted myself to my acting career without ever setting aside writing. A few years ago, I decided to start developing personal projects with the idea of directing them myself and the desire to create strong, profound female characters, with a great sense of humor, and to be able to portray them. Playing and directing is indeed a major challenge, but I surrounded myself with a wonderful team, both human and highly professional, in whom I had complete trust and with whom we worked extensively.”
Aina Clotet
Aina Clotet is a Spanish actress, director, screenwriter, and producer with a long career in film, television, and theatre. A graduate of Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, she made her debut on the small screen in 1994, when she was only 11 years old. She has received numerous awards, including Best Performance for This is Not Sweden at CannesSeries 2024, a series she also created and directed. A few years ago, she founded Funicular Films. Viva is her debut feature film.
Aina Clotet surrounded by the jury of the 65e édition of La Semaine de la Critique ©CapucineHenry
2026 Jury
The jury for the 65th edition of Critics’ Week was chaired by Indian director Payal Kapadia, alongside the head of development at the BFI Filmaking Fund and Ethiopian producer Ama Ampadu, Thai screenwriter, critic and producer Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, Canadian actor and winner of the 2025 Louis Roederer Foundation Revelation Prize Théodore Pellerin, and French singer Oklou.