La maison du vent (House of the Wind), directed by Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu, won the award for a debut film and the Special Orizzonti Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The results were announced on September 12, 2026.
A home waiting for its family
The story centres on 80-year-old Josette, who lives alone in Yaoundé while her children are abroad. Hoping to bring them closer, she persuades them to build homes in Cameroon. An unexpected friendship with a young neighbour, Sarah, leads her to reconsider family, her own responsibilities and her hopes.
Kouemo Yanghu links the film’s origins to his mother’s life. After her six children moved abroad, she stayed in the large family home, keeping their belongings and waiting for them to return. That personal experience became the basis for a story about distance between loved ones.
The 102-minute film is in French and Bafang. Its leading cast includes Josette Kwanya, Moudjeu Pouadeu and Adrien Jolivet. It is a co-production involving Cameroon, France, Belgium, Benin, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
A separate jury awarded the debut-film prize, known as the Lion of the Future, the Luigi De Laurentiis Award. The film received its second distinction within the Orizzonti competition, where it was screened.
