Jim is a superstar gay influencer in Paris with 20 million followers. Sculpted by gym training with a chiseled chest, glutes, and rock-hard muscles, he reigns at the top of the pyramid of desire. But when he contracts a new STD called ‘heterosis,’ which causes him to lose his muscles and become straight within three weeks, his fans quickly turn their backs on him. As he struggles to find a cure, the only one who stays by his side is Lucien, the closeted young man he used to ignore. Jim Queen, which set the Lumiere Theatre ablaze with excitement at this year’s Cannes, is an animated satire that bitingly captures the harsh reality of the contempt and discrimination that persist even within minority communities. Amid a relentless barrage of parodies, it captures the fear of AIDS, homophobia, the anxiety of coming out, and even the hypocrisy of state power. Instead of hatred and envy, it delivers a witty yet biting wake-up call about true liberty through self-acceptance and solidarity.
A director and screenwriter trained at the Gobelins animation school, Marco Nguyen directed the short Le Building (2005). He served as an assistant director and animation director on Joann Sfar′s The Rabbi′s Cat (2011), and worked as an animator on Ernest & Celestine (2012) and The Summit of the Gods (2021). He was a first assistant director on Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec′s The Swallows of Kabul (2019). His debut feature, co-directed with Nicolas Athané, Jim Queen, a bold and exhilarating adult animated comedy set in Paris′s gay scene, had its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
A director and screenwriter trained at the Gobelins animation school, Nicolas Athané directed the short Un tour de manège (2009). He worked on the animation for the video games Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends, as well as The Red Turtle (2016) and The Rabbi′s Cat (2011). He went on to co-write and co-direct several series at the adult animation studio Bobbypills, including Les Kassos and Monsieur Flap. His debut feature, co-written and co-directed with Marco Nguyen, Jim Queen, a satire built around a fictional virus that turns gay men heterosexual, had its world premiere to considerable buzz in the Midnight Screenings section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
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