The Golden Globes® and Artemis Rising Foundation announced that SAG Award-winning actor and producer Kelvin Harrison Jr. will join the jury and present the Golden Globes Prize for Documentary in partnership with Artemis Rising Foundation during the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

Returning to Cannes for its second year, the prize honors a filmmaker whose work demonstrates exceptional storytelling and a meaningful contribution to documentary filmmaking, particularly in addressing urgent global and social issues.

Harrison Jr. represents a new generation of talent committed to storytelling with cultural and social relevance. His recent and upcoming work includes voicing Taka in Mufasa: The Lion King; portraying Jean-Michel Basquiat in Samo Lives and starring in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, coming to theaters this fall.

“I’m honored to support this important prize and to celebrate the extraordinary documentary filmmakers whose work shines a light on urgent stories around the world,” said Harrison Jr.

Launched in 2025, the prize has been presented at major international festivals, including Cannes and Venice, underscoring the Golden Globes’ and Artemis Rising Foundation’s shared commitment to elevating documentary storytelling on a global stage. It was awarded to Eugene Jarecki at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, with a jury including actor-producer Tessa Thompson; and to Ross McElwee at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, with a jury including Teo Yoo and Jharrel Jerome.

The full jury this year includes Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne; Oscar-winning producer and Founder of Artemis Rising Foundation Regina K. Scully; Academy Award-winning producer and co-founder of Impact Partners, Geralyn White Dreyfous; and founder-CEO of Think-Film Impact Production Danielle Turkov Wilson.

“We are proud to return to Cannes to honor an outstanding documentary filmmaker, and thrilled to have Kelvin join our jury this year,” said Hoehne. “His passion for meaningful storytelling makes him a natural addition to the jury, and reflects the Golden Globes’ continued commitment to innovation and to elevating documentaries on the global stage.”

Scully added, “Artemis Rising Foundation is proud to honor outstanding filmmakers who have demonstrated a commitment to documentaries. We believe that meaningful documentary storytelling has the power to inspire fierce compassion and help shape a better future. We’re delighted to collaborate with the Golden Globes on this important prize, amplifying exceptional talent and elevating the documentary genre on a global stage.”

Dreyfous stated, “With factual storytelling sitting on the sidelines instead of center stage, we hope this prize will highlight the best of non-fiction narratives, storytelling, and elevate its importance.”

Finalists for the prize include filmmakers with a film either in the official selection of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, side events or special screenings, each demonstrating a sustained commitment to documentary filmmaking. The jury will consider the following filmmakers: Steven Soderbergh, Pegah Ahangarani, Ron Howard, Christophe Dimitri Réveille, David Tryhorn & Ben Nicholas, Gessica Généus, Diego Luna, and Alexander Murphy.

Harrison Jr. will announce the winner at an invitation-only event on Monday, May 18, 2026 at the Plage des Palmes. The evening, supported by Think-Film Impact Production, will include a panel discussion, award presentation and reception celebrating documentary filmmaking. The winner will receive a EUR10,000 cash award in recognition of their contribution to the documentary field.

As a premier entertainment awards show since 1944, the annual Golden Globes has honored achievements in both television and film. Over the last three decades, the Golden Globes has enabled donations of more than $55 million to entertainment-related charities including scholarship programs, film restoration projects and humanitarian efforts. This funding has also supported diverse programs in partnership with advocacy groups aimed at promoting greater access in Hollywood for underserved communities. Dick Clark Productions is the owner and producer of the Golden Globes. For more information on the Golden Globes, please visit GoldenGlobes.com and follow them on X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and TikTok.

Artemis Rising Foundation is dedicated to supporting media, arts and education projects that transform our culture. Regina K. Scully champions powerful stories about challenging issues with compassion including trauma recovery, mental health, addiction, regenerative farming and other important ecological issues concerning clean soil, seeds and food. Artemis Rising Foundation has helped produce some of the most impactful documentary films of our time, inspiring changes in education, public policy, and culture with such award-winning films such as What Would Sophia Loren Do? The Biggest Little Farm, The Fantastic Fungi, The Invisible War, All the Empty Rooms, Fed Up, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Comon Ground, Kiss the Ground, Bee Wild and Groundswell, 

The Foundation has worked with renowned filmmakers, including Morgan Neville, Katie Couric, Ross Kauffman, Louie Schwartzberg, Freida Mock, Liz Garbus, Amy Ziering, Josh and Rebecca Tickell, Laura Dern and Alex Gibney. Artemis Rising Foundation has supported hundreds of films, many Peabody, Emmy and Academy Award-winning. Artemis Rising Foundation supports documentaries, narrative film, television, theater, education, and sustainable regenerative farming that inspire innovation and change around the world. The Foundation can be reached on Instagram here and the Foundation film website here.

Think-Film Impact Production is the world’s premier impact media company. Think-Film partners with international independent feature storytellers to advance social justice at the highest levels of international policy and governance. Think-Film has brought impact into the A-list film festival circuit including, co-launching the Cannes Marche du Film impACT program in 2021 and awarding the Venice Collateral Impact Award in 2023 and 2024, with jury members including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alia Shawkat, Adjoa Andoh, Nadine Labaki, Yalitza Aparicio, Elsa Zylberstein.

Think-Film has led impact on more than 50 films over the past 10 years, including: Mr. Nobody Against Putin (2026), The Voice of Hind Rajab (2026), Navalny (2023), Black Box Diaries (2025), The End (Tilda Swinton feature from Joshua Oppenheimer), and Dark Waters (Mark Ruffalo feature from Todd Haynes).