Over the past five decades, France’s Clermont-Ferrand fest has honed a reputation as the best-known short film festival in the world.

Now Clermont Ferrand is looking to set that in stone. TheSauve Qui Peut le Court Métrage association, which organizes the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, has won a project management competition to create a Cité du Court, renovating and extending its own current Jetée, home. Supported by Clermont Auvergne Métropole, the governing body of Clermont Ferrand city and environs, and to be built by Mu Architecture, the City is scheduled to open first half 2029, when the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary.

A 186,000 sq. foot facility, the City du Court will feature a renovated screening room, a larger documentation center for the general public, new work spaces designed for image education and professional training, an educational and experimental film set for filmmakers and more spacious offices for the organizing team,...