The Rising Star Program in Cannes 2025 Cohort
Unveiled.
The Rising Star Program, a full-service career accelerator, film market access, and mentorship initiative known for elevating visionary talent, proudly announces the 2025 cohort that will be present in Cannes during the film festival and market. This program is designed to spotlight the next wave of emerging filmmakers and actors at various international industry events.
The 2025 cohort features nine Rising Stars poised to make their mark on the industry.
Maria Allred (USA) – A daring filmmaker and producer, and an instigator of process-oriented filmmaking where art and reality interweave. She’s bringing two new features in development to market.
Linjie “LJ” Huang (China & USA) – Filmmaker presenting her short “Chase Jupiter” in the official selection of the American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmakers Showcase.
Andrew Davies Gans (USA) – A seasoned producer who has just completed his directorial debut, a documentary titled “VOICES: The Danny Gans Story”, about his legendary father. Available for World Rights.
Charlotte Quyao Zhi (China & USA) – Filmmaker blending surreal storytelling with emotional realism to reflect on social issues and the complexities of the human experience.
Kristina Klebe (USA & Germany) – A multihyphenate actress, writer, and filmmaker who just completed her autobiographical directorial debut feature “Noxturne”, which is available for World Rights and World Premiere.
Byron Clohessy (USA) – A prolific actor and musician who has just completed his first feature film as a producer.
Anne Giroux (Canada) – A French Canadian actress and filmmaker dedicated to artistic expression through directing, performance, and writing.
Danicah Waldo (USA) – Filmmaker presenting her short film Sally, Get the Potatoes in the official selection of the American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmakers Showcase.
Mélanie Dumais (Canada) – A talented French Canadian actress known for her ability to bring gravitas, authenticity, and depth to every character she portrays.
“At the Rising Star Program, we believe that every artist with talent, purpose, and a unique voice deserves to be discovered,” says program manager and publicist Sonia Gonzalvo Pharand. “This program is about global positioning. These artists are here in Cannes not just to be seen, but to be remembered.”
MARIA ALLRED (CHICAGO, USA)
Maria Allred is an award-winning filmmaker whose daring, genre-defying work fuses bold narratives with experimental aesthetics.
A true auteur, she writes, directs, shoots, and edits her films—earning praise for her “unapologetically bold” debut feature, which won multiple festival awards and secured theatrical distribution. She is the founder of Allred Films and producer of SOMNIUM, set for international release in 2025. Her screenplay Towed was selected for Stowe Story Labs and advanced at the Sundance Development Labs.
With a background in visual art, philosophy, and a life shaped by radical exploration, Allred creates cinematic worlds that are visceral, poetic, and deeply original.
LOOKING FOR: Financing & Sales for two feature film projects in development. Access to financing events and panels.
Presenting her latest short film "CHASING JUPITER" at the AmPav Emerging Filmmaker Showcase.
LINJIE "LJ" HUANG (CHINA & USA)
A filmmaker originally from China, Linjie “LJ” Huang has lived in Korea, Hong Kong, and the United States, shaping a body of work that explores identity, belonging, and self-worth through the perspective of an 异乡人 (foreigner).
Her short film Chasing Jupiter won the Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, received a nomination at the Austin Film Festival, and was selected for the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase.
Her latest project, Hidden Flavor, draws from the challenges of writing in a second language and reflects the quiet struggle to feel confident in one’s creative voice.
LOOKING FOR: Festival programmers, producers, and journalists.
ANDREW DAVIES GANS (ATLANTA, USA)
Andrew Davies Gans is a Los Angeles based producer, director, and writer. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays at 18 years old, Andrew was once a promising athlete whose Major League Baseball dreams were cut short by injury, redirecting his ambitions into storytelling. As a producer, he has brought bold narratives to prestigious festivals like SXSW (Pink Skies Ahead) and Tribeca (Changing The Game), collaborating with talents such as Anya Taylor-Joy, Michael Shannon, Emma Roberts, and Ewan McGregor.
With VOICES, Andrew makes his directorial debut, crafting a layered and intimate documentary that explores the life of his father, Las Vegas legend Danny Gans. This next phase marks a thrilling evolution in his career as Andrew moves beyond producing to embrace writing and directing narrative films. He’s eager to make films that bridge the gap between indie and studio cinema, bringing intimate stories with powerful universal themes to audiences on a grand scale.
LOOKING FOR: Sales agents, distributors and financiers for a slate of films. Access to finance events and panels.
CHARLOTTE QUYAO ZHI (CHINA & USA)
Charlotte (Quyao) Zhi is a filmmaker from Beijing, China, currently based in Los Angeles. Her passion for a career in the entertainment industry was sparked by her grandparents, who were both actors. She earned her MFA in Film & Television Production from the University of Southern California.
Her work often blends surreal storytelling with emotional realism to reflect on social issues and the complexities of the human experience, as seen in her short film SOFA. In addition to producing and directing independent projects, Charlotte has contributed to large-scale TV series productions for major Chinese streaming platforms such as iQIYI and YOUKU.
LOOKING FOR: Festival programmers, producers, and fellow filmmakers.
KRISTINA KLEBE (USA & GERMANY)
First generation American, Kristina Klebe is a creative polymath who graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College, with a major in government and minor in film. She also attended the prestigious NYU Grad Film Program at Tisch for directing.
As an actress, she is best-known to genre film fans for her breakout role as the sassy, foul-mouthed Lynda in Rob Zombie’s Halloween and for her acclaimed performance in 2013’s Proxy (TIFF ’13) and most recently Brooklyn 45 (SXSW ’23). Her voice can be recognized in many video games including Call of Duty: Cold War.
Kristina has produced and shot numerous short fiction and non-fiction films, including over a dozen open heart surgeries for Doctors Without Borders, Surgeons of Hope and Open Hearts Haiti. Her short films have played in competition at Sitges and the Oscar-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival. Kristina is currently in post production on her first feature film, Noxturne, which she wrote, directed, produced and starred in. Kristina splits her time between New York, Los Angeles and Berlin.
LOOKING FOR: Sales agents and distributor for her completed directorial debut feature.
BYRON CLOHESSY (NEW YORK, USA)
Byron Clohessy is known for his work as Zef in “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and Timmy O'Brien in “City On A Hill.” Other TV: “Blue Bloods,” “Bull,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” and more.
Films he is in have screened at Cannes, TIFF and SXSW and can be streamed on IFC, Netflix, Amazon, etc. “Noxturne,” now in post-production, will be his first feature film as producer. Also a singer-songwriter, his EP, “Kristina,” is due this year.
BA in Creative Writing, magna cum laude, The City College Of New York. He LOVES other animals, especially those with whiskers, and plans to be an Ironman.
LOOKING FOR: Sales agents and distributor for his completed new feature film as a producer.
ANNE GIROUX (MONTRÉAL, CANADA)
Anne Giroux is an emerging Canadian director, producer, and actress based in Montreal. In 2023, she won Best Actress for her performance in Coexistence, directed by Youri Létourneau-Langlois. That same year, Anne directed her first dramatic short film, Leanne, which was showcased on the independent festival circuit and received four awards, including Best International Short Film and an Honorable Mention at Global Shorts Los Angeles.
Anne is dedicated to artistic expression through directing, acting, and writing. Discipline and the joy of creating are essential to her process. She is known for her deeply moving performances, marked by sensitivity and authenticity, both in front of and behind the camera.
LOOKING FOR: Producers, distributors and fellow actors.
Presenting her latest short film "SALLY, GET THE POTATOES" at the AmPav Emerging Filmmaker Showcase.
DANICAH WALDO (NEW YORK, USA)
Danicah Waldo is an award-winning director, writer, and producer based out of New York City.
She got her 10,000 hours directing and producing narrative short films starring kids for Applause New York, whose YouTube channel has amassed 1.5 million subscribers and over 1 billion views. Now serving as Director of Production at LIT Videobooks, she oversees all live-action content and built the company’s production system from the ground up.
Her debut narrative short film, Sally, Get the Potatoes, has earned awards at festivals worldwide. Danicah is represented by Sandstone Artists and is a proud member of the Alliance of Women Directors and NYWIFT.
LOOKING FOR: Festival programmers.
MÉLANIE DUMAIS (MONTRÉAL, CANADA)
Melanie Dumais is a talented French Canadian actress, who is known for her ability to bring gravitas, authenticity and depth to every character she portrays.
Her background in dance and fitness has also influenced her acting, giving it a unique physique and a strong sense of body awareness on screen. That also help her to create her own stunt in a movie and tv show or as a mocap performer.
LOOKING FOR: Directors, casting directors and representation.
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