Biarritz Film Festival 2026: ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ Wins Grand Prize Under Jury Head Kristen Stewart!

With temperatures soaring above 104°F, the 4th Biarritz Film Festival – New Waves kicked off under sweltering heat and blazing sun. It was the perfect weather to seek refuge in the air-conditioned theaters. After five days of celebrations, Kristen Stewart and her jury announced their decisions.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Paloma Schneideman’s debut film, Big Girls Don’t Cry. Screened earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, this intimate drama is set in 2006 in the New Zealand countryside and follows 14-year-old Sid Bookman as she explores desire and the internet, emulating those she longs to be loved by.

On stage, Kristen Stewart expressed deep emotion for the film: “This experience with this girl happens to us all, in one way or another. It didn’t plunge me back into trauma, instead, it allowed me, to see what this young girl couldn’t: that she is the coolest girl. And even though it hurts terribly now, everything will be alright.”

Among the other winners, Congo Boy by Rafiki Fariala took home two awards: the Acting Prize for Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset – who had also won at the Cannes Film Festival where the film was featured – and the Audience Award. AlloCiné recently spoke with the director, whose feature is inspired by his own life. The film is set for release on November 25 in France.

The Jury Prize went to No Good Men by Shahrbanoo Sadat. Scheduled for release in France on February 3, 2027, the film follows the only female camerawoman at a television station in Kabul as she suddenly finds herself working for the station’s star journalist.

The Short Film Award, with a jury headed by Anthony Bajon, was given to Baise-moi à Saint-Gilles by Victor Ruprich-Robert. The Jury Prize for High School Students and Apprentices was awarded to La Gradiva by Marine Atlan, whose screening at Cannes’ Critics’ Week had generated significant critical and public interest.

Complete List of Winners:

Grand Prize: Big Girls Don’t Cry by Paloma Schneideman

Jury Prize: No Good Men by Shahrbanoo Sadat

Acting Prize: Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset for Congo Boy

Audience Award: Congo Boy by Rafiki Fariala

Jury Prize for Culture Pass: Animol by Ashley Walters

Prize for High School Students and Apprentices: La Gradiva by Marine Atlan

Short Film Prize: Baise-moi à Saint-Gilles by Victor Ruprich-Robert

Special Mention: Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma by Jane Schoenbrun

This 4th edition of the festival was chaired by actress, producer, and director Kristen Stewart, joined by French director and screenwriter Nathan Ambrosioni; French actress Suzy Bemba; Italian director and screenwriter Carolina Cavalli; British actress Esmé Creed-Miles; Indian actor Ishaan Khatter; Canadian actress Whitney Peak; and French actor and director Raphaël Quenard.