MEET THE COMPOSERS
Music is an essential part of the creative process in film and television. In 2026, the festival is proud to shine a spotlight on two composers, Dom La Nena & Valentin Hadjadj with the support of SACEM, by inviting them to present their film(s) and series to the festival audience. A global leader in collective rights management, SACEM plays a vital role in cinema and television in France, supporting composers through its dedicated programs and championing the essential place of music in storytelling, where it enriches narratives, conveys emotion, and enhances the power of audiovisual works.
Presented in association with
DOM LA NENA is an acclaimed Brazilian-born, Paris-based cellist, singer-songwriter, and film composer. Seamlessly bridging the worlds of international concert touring and screen scoring, she has established herself as one of Europe’s most versatile musical voices.
As a film composer, Dom La Nena recently scored Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz’s Madame (Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival) and Vincent Munier’s documentary hit Whispers in the Woods (both presented at TAFFF), which drew over 1.2 million theatrical admissions and earned her the prestigious Prix Lumière for Best Original Music.
Her expanding filmography includes This is my Mother (starring Agnès Jaoui), Abel & Gordon’s The Falling Star, Enya Baroux’s On ira, Nicolas Wadimoff’s Who is still alive, as well as television series for Arte including Ceux qui rougissent and Audrey Estrougo’s upcoming La Vie dont nous rêvions.
On stage and in the studio, Dom La Nena’s solo albums (Ela, Soyo, Tempo, Léon) have earned glowing international praise from The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, NPR, The Guardian, and the BBC, alongside a Victoires du Jazz nomination. She has performed at major global venues including the Philharmonie de Paris, Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre, Vienna Konzerthaus, Luxembourg Philharmonie…
A former touring musician for Jane Birkin, Jeanne Moreau, and Étienne Daho, she regularly performs as a featured soloist—most notably with the Orchestre National de France under Cristian Măcelaru at the 2025 Concert de Paris beneath the Eiffel Tower. She also co-leads the duo Birds on a Wire with Rosemary Standley, with whom she created a special
VALENTIN HADJADJ is an award-winning French composer specializing in film music. He graduated from the Conservatoire of Lyon in guitar and counterpoint before continuing his studies at the CNSMD, where he earned a degree in composition and a diploma in orchestration. In 2015, he completed a Master’s degree in Composition, specializing in Music for Image. Throughout his studies, Valentin composed music for concerts, dance productions, and short films. His collaboration with director Lukas Dhont on L’Infini marked the beginning of a lasting artistic partnership. In 2012, he received the Best Young European Composer Award at the World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent, Belgium.
In 2015, he composed his first feature film score for the animated film April and the Extraordinary World, directed by Franck Ekinci and Christian Desmares. The film received the Cristal Award for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, while Valentin earned further recognition, including the UCMF Young Talent Prize.
In 2018, his collaboration with Lukas Dhont on Girl brought him international recognition. In September 2019, he received the Ensor Award for Best Original Music. His other film credits include Rialto, Un Monde Plus Grand, and Sous les Étoiles de Paris. He also composed the music for the animated series Roger, consisting of 78 episodes.
In 2022, Valentin composed the score for Lukas Dhont’s film Close, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. His more recent projects include Le Dernier des Juifs (2023), directed by Noé Debré, and Boundary Waters, directed by Tessa Blake. Through his versatility, technical expertise, and artistic sensitivity, Valentin Hadjadj continues to establish himself as a distinctive composer across feature films – recently with A Girl Unknown, premiering at TAFFF 2026 -, animation, and television.