Cannes Film Festival 2026
Once again high spring in Europe brought the world’s attention to the French Riviera and international media along with it to truly kick off the 2026/2027 movie season and the award show express headed to next year’s Oscars, plus stoke the fires of this year’s festival season with world’s biggest and most prestigious film festival, gathering great & good of global cinema to showcase their wares and celebrate the 79th edition of the annual Cannes Film Festival.
With the festival looking a little less star-studded this edition, the big news was the general absence of major Hollywood studios and streamers this year, no doubt as a result of a combination of factors like movies not being finished in time, producers avoiding the promotional cost for films which won’t be released for many months, and of course a gathering fear in tinseltown over the notoriously blunt and unforgiving Cannes critics. It was left then to global cinema players to shoulder the burden of carrying the Riviera expectations, not to mention the red carpet glitz & glamour, as the festival had a distinctively international feel which hearkened back to its roots.
As usual the media and selected audiences caught a valuable glimpse of the likely award-contending films to be released throughout the rest of 2026 and well into 2027, both in competition and out, with the official contest determined by a jury presided over by director and South Korean cinema legend Park Chan-wook, eventually awarding this year’s prestigious Palme d’Or to Cristian Mungiu’s Romanian-Norwegian clash-of-cultures immigrant drama ‘Fjord’.
So let’s break down some of the major films and players at this year’s much anticipated festival.
Jury
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As per tradition the Palme d’Or among other prizes in the main competition were awarded by a jury made up of an eclectic selection of filmmakers and artists presided over by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and including Chilean filmmaker Diego Céspedes, Ivorian actor Isaach de Bankolé, British-Irish screenwriter Paul Laverty, American actress Demi Moore, Ethiopian-Irish actress Ruth Negga, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, Belgian filmmaker Laura Wandel and Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao.
Jury press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Premieres & Screenings
Tuesday the 12th
The Electric Kiss (La Vénus Électrique)
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The now established tradition of opening the festival with a homegrown affair meant the honour fell this year upon the shoulders of French director Pierre Salvadori, who brought along his stars Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, Gilles Lellouche, Gustave Kervern, Vimala Pons and Madeleine Baudot for the world premiere of his adaptation of Robin Campillo and Rebecca Zlotowski’s French period comedy/drama original idea ‘The Electric Kiss’.
A poignant and heartening tale set in Paris of the 1920s and centred on a painter wracked with guilt mourning the death of his wife and unable to work, who finds hope in a young carnival worker posing as clairvoyant intent on helping him psychically contact his departed wife, only for her to develop deep feelings for the man she’s deceiving. ‘The Electric Kiss’ is out now in French cinemas, with no UK or US dates yet.
The Electric Kiss on the Cannes red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Wednesday the 13th
A Woman’s Life (La Vie D’une Femme)
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The first full day of screenings and the official competition this year was led by homegrown cinema when actress turned director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet brought along her stars Léa Drucker, Mélanie Thierry, Marie-Christine Barrault, Charles Berling, Laurent Capelluto and Yumi Narita for the in-competition world premiere of contemporary French drama ‘A Woman’s Life‘.
A life balance and self-determination drama centred on a middle-aged woman fully dedicated to her professional life as a surgeon and hospital department head but neglectful of her personal life, who starts to question her choices when pressures reach breaking point and a novelist arrives to observe her life for a book subject, prompting her to rethink her life balance and contemplating a shake up of everything she’s built. ‘A Woman’s Life’ is out now in France, with no UK and US dates yet.
A Woman’s Life press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Nagi Notes
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The second of the first Wednesday’s official competition screenings brought Japanese cinema to this year’s festival and writer/director Kôji Fukada back to the Riviera, flanked by his stars Takako Matsu, Ken’ichi Matsuyama and Shizuka Ishibashi for the world premiere of his quiet and reflective rural drama ‘Nagi Notes’.
A contemporary human drama and set in rural Southwestern Japan and following the fortunes of “Yoriko”, a sculptor still carrying the scars of loss and trauma whilst haunted by a love affair left behind, who forms a transformative connection with her visiting former sister-in-law from Tokyo, as they bond over a mutual need to let go of the painful past and look towards the future. ‘Nagi Notes’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Nagi Notes press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Forsaken (L’Abandon)
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The pick of the Wednesday’s other screenings was another homegrown affair and an out-of-competition screening which brought writer/director Vincent Garenq to Cannes and with him his latest contemporary crime exploration, this time a dramatisation of a dark chapter of his divided country’s very recent dark history, treating Riviera audiences with the world premiere of ‘Forsaken’.
A dramatisation of the real events surrounding the brutal and horrific murder of French school teacher Samuel Paty; a story of religious extremism and suppressed free speech in a European country in deep and troubling flux, when a class about freedom of expression which led to perceived cultural offence was fed by lies and social media fervour, escalating into an evil act by an Islamist fundamentalist which shocked a nation. Garenq was joined on the red carpet by his stars Antoine Reinartz, Emmanuelle Bercot, Vincent Lindon, Etienne Guillou-Kervern, Nedjim Bouizzoul, Emma Boumali, Jonathan Cohen, Azize Kabouche, Eloy Pohu and Jean-Luc Vincent, ‘Forsaken’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Forsaken on the red carper (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Thursday the 14th
Fatherland
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The second full day of screenings this year culminated in a return to the Riviera for writer/director Pawel Pawlikowski in official competition contention, as the celebrated Polish filmmaker led one of the most anticipated screenings at Cannes this year when he was joined by his stars Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler and August Diehl plus cinematographer Lukasz Zal for the world premiere of his biographical German period drama ‘Fatherland’.
The Polish auteur’s latest cinematic exploration of post-war Europe and life behind the iron curtain, centred around Nobel Prize-winning author Thomas Mann and his difficult relationship with his formidable daughter Erika, as they set off on an illuminating summer of 1949 road trip across his native Germany after years of foreign exile for opposing the 3rd Reich, only to find a scarred and fractured country which mirrors the divisions in the Cold War world and in his own aristocratic family. ‘Fatherland’ is out on the 19th of June in Poland, with no other dates yet.
Fatherland press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Parallel Tales (Histoires Parallèles)
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Thursday’s second big official competition screening brought a giant of contemporary Persian cinema and a Cannes regular back to the Riviera, as Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi graced the red carpet in French cinema mode alongside his all-star cast of homegrown screen legends and superstars including Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Cassel, Virginie Efira, Pierre Niney and Adam Bessa, assembled for the world premiere of crime drama ‘Parallel Tales‘.
A modern French crime mystery revolving around a veteran author looking for inspiration who takes to spying on her neighbours across the street for content, only for things to take an unexpected turn and for her created fiction to blend with reality when she hires a young man to help with her routine, and her life is turned upside down. ‘Parallel Tales’ is out now in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
Parallel Tales press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Species (Sanguine)
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The pick of the day’s other screenings came in the out-of-competition section and was another homegrown affair, this time bringing French writer/director and horror devotee Marion Le Coroller for her Cannes debut flanked by her stars Mara Taquin, Sami Outalbali, Carole Lambert, Kim Higelin and Sonia Faidi for the world premiere of her medical horror ‘Species’.
A contemporary French horror/thriller set in one of the country’s busiest and most competitive hospital emergency departments, where an ambitious young intern’s struggles with her stressful environment take a dark turn into survival mode when several young patients starts displaying troubling and unusual symptoms, and her own body begins to change into something alarming too. ‘Species’ is out on the 28th of October in French cinemas, with no UK and US dates yet.
Species red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Friday the 15th
Gentle Monster
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The first Friday at the festival this year brought a first taste of German cinema and a touch of musicality when Austrian writer/director Marie Kreutzer returned to Cannes in official competition mode, flanked by her stars Léa Seydoux, Camille Dalmais, Laurence Rupp, Catherine Deneuve, Malo Blanchet and Jella Haase for the world premiere of her contentious human drama inspired by a scandal that hit close to home ‘Gentle Monster’.
A troubling domestic and legal drama centered on a concert pianist and mother recently re-located to the Austrian countryside, whose life is turned upside down by an unexpected visit from the police and a serious accusation about her husband, as her life is torn apart by her need to protect her son but also try to remain loyal to a man she loves . . . but who may have done something unforgivable. ‘Gentle Monster’ has no release dates yet.
Gentle Monster on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
All of a Sudden (Soudain)
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The day’s second official competition contender was a Franco-Japanese affair which brought writer/director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi back to the Riviera alongside his stars Marie Bunel, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Jean-Charles Clichet, Tao Okamoto, Virginie Efira and Kodai Kurosaki for the world premiere of their moving French human drama ‘All of a Sudden’.
A tale of friendship and connection revolving around a care facility director with new philosophies for her institution and a Japanese theatre director fighting an aggressive cancer, as the two form a transformative bond over shared struggles and existential discussions about mortality and purpose. ‘All of a Sudden’ ha no confirmed dates yet.
All of a Sudden press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Karma
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Friday’s big out-of-competition screenings brought further local involvement and some homegrown star power when French actor-turned-director Guillaume Canet was joined by his former real life partner and leading lady Marion Cotillard, along with her co-stars Leonardo Sbaraglia, Denis Menochet and Maxim Nucci plus screenwriter Simon Jacquet for the world premiere of their European crime thriller ‘Karma’.
A tense and twisting psychological drama centred on a French woman from a troubled background rebuilding her life in Spain with a lover who knows nothing of her murky past, only to be thrown back into the darkness when her young godson mysteriously disappears and she becomes the prime suspect, fleeing back across the border to her childhood home while the man she loves tries to find her and unravel the truth before the police can. ‘Karma’ is out on the 21st of October in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
Karma on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Saturday the 16th
Sheep in the Box (Hako no Naka no Hitsuji)
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The first Saturday at the festival this year proved to be a busy day for the official competition with no less than three contenders making their presence felt, the first of which brought more Japanese participation as celebrated writer/director and Cannes regular Hirokazu Koreeda returned to the riviera for the world premiere of his futurist sci-fi drama rumination on loss and AI ‘Sheep in the Box’.
A family drama tale of grief and connection set in near-future Japan and following the struggles of a couple still reeling from the loss of their young son, who turn to technology when they take in an advanced humanoid robot into their lives who has the exact appearance and voice as their late child. Koreeda was joined on the red carpet by his stars Haruka Ayase, Rimu Kuwaki and Daigo Yamamoto, ‘Sheep in the Box’ is out on the 29th of May in Japan, with no UK or US dates yet.
Sheep in the Box on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Beloved (El Ser Querido)
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The second official competition contender of the day brought Spanish cinema and writer/director Rodrigo Sorogoyen back to the festival, accompanied by his stars Victoria Luengo, Javier Bardem and Marina Foïs plus producer Nacho Lavilla and screenwriter Isabel Peña for the premiere of his contemporary father/daughter drama ‘The Beloved’. The story of a celebrated Spanish film director with a complicated and troubled past, whose latest project sees him reach out to his estranged actress daughter for a key role, as they’re brought together on set by professional need only to be forced face the difficulties of their past but reveal the hope to rekindle a closeness long forgotten. ‘The Beloved’ is out now in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
The Beloved on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Paper Tiger
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The first Saturday’s final Palme d’Or contender saw the first true American participation in the official competition and brought a glimpse of Hollywood star power to this year’s red carpet, as New York writer/director and Cannes regular James Gray brought his stars Adam Driver and Miles Teller plus producers Raffaella Leone, Anthony Katagas and Rodrigo Teixeira for the world premiere of his American Dream-gone-wrong family crime drama ‘Paper Tiger’.
A period piece family saga set in the US East coast of the 1980s, where two brothers looking for their piece of the American dream get caught up in a scheme which soon proves too good to be true, as they’re plunged into the dangerous underworld of the Russian mafia which threatens to take down their entire family. ‘Paper Tiger’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Paper Tiger press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Sunday the 17th
Moulin
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Sunday number one at Cannes completed a busy first weekend this year for the official competition with the day’s first Palme d’Or contender proving a homegrown period affair which sees director László Nemes move his cinematic focus from his native Hungary to La France, as he was accompanied by his stars Felix Lefebvre, Lars Eidinger, Gilles Lellouche, Louise Bourgoin, Hortense Quentin De Gromard and Max Warburton plus some of his crew for the world premiere of biographical World War II character drama ‘Moulin’.
A chronicle of the extraordinary life and exploits of Jean Moulin, a French civil servant and resistance leader captured in 1943 France whilst trying to unite the secret networks against the Nazi occupation, as he faces his toughest and final battle when forced to confront notorious and torturous local Gestapo head Klaus Barbie. ‘Moulin’ is out on the 28th of October in French cinemas, with no UK or US dates yet.
Moulin press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Garance
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The day’s second official competition screening was also a local but more contemporary proposition which brought a feature filmmaker Cannes debut for actress turned writer/director Jeanne Herry, who was flanked on the red carpet by her stars Raya Martigny, Sara Giraudeau, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Mathilde Roehrich plus producers Alain Attal and Hugo Selignac for the world premiere of her human drama portrait of redemption and renewal ‘Garance’. A frank character portrait of a talented but troubled and struggling young Parisian actress, who finds salvation from her love life struggles and a substance addiction through her devotion to her ailing sister, and a promising romance with a young woman which provides her with much needed hope, forcing her to confront her demons on the way to turning over a new leaf. ‘Garance’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Garance press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Hope
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Sunday’s final Palme d’Or contender brought Korean cinema and writer/director Na Hong-jin back to the Riviera with his much anticipated genre-blending thriller in tow, as he was accompanied by his stars Zo In-sung, Hwang Jung-min, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Jung Ho-yeon for the world premiere of ‘Hope’.
A near past mystery action-thriller with classic American and Western cinema tendencies and a taste of horror and sci-fi too, set in a remote South Korean harbour town where the locals and law enforcement face a battle against wildfires while hunters track a dangerous beast, only for them to be plunged into a fight for survival against forces they couldn’t imagine . . . with consequences well beyond their little corner of the world. ‘Hope’ has no confirmed release dates yet.
Hope press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Week 2 (Next Page)–>
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