Cannes Film Festival 2026
Premieres & Screenings
Monday the 18th
The Unknown (L’Inconnue)
Image Source: Getty
The second week of the official competition at Cannes this year kicked off in more homegrown fashion and in mysterious thriller style when Parisian actor/writer/director Arthur Harari returned to the riviera accompanied by his stars Lea Seydoux, Jonathan Turnbull, Niels Schneider, Shanti Masud and Lilith Grasmug plus crew members for the world premiere of ‘The Unknown’.
A drama and mystery with horror/fantasy and sci-fi elements centred on an enigmatic and slightly anti-social photographer who gets a rare break from his home life when his friends drag him to a wild party, and he becomes infatuated with an alluring and mysterious woman, only for life to be turned upside down and his sanity challenged when he inexplicably wakes up as her inside her body. ‘The Unknown’ has no confirmed UK or US dates.
The Unknown on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Fjord
Image Source: Getty
Monday’s second Palme d’Or contender brought Romanian cinema by way of Scandinavia to this year’s festival and writer/director Cristian Mungiu back to Cannes, flanked by his stars Markus Tønseth, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Renate Reinsve, Jonathan Ciprian Breazu, Henrikke Lund Olsen, Vanessa Ceban, Sebastian Stan and Lisa Carlehed for the premiere of his contemporary family drama culture clash study of immigration and tradition, and eventual Palme d’Or winner ‘Fjord’.
A modern cinematic study of European immigration and the balance of tolerance versus conformity and the rule of law, all revolving around a young Romanian family of a couple and their young children who settle in small town coastal Norway, only for their traditional values and strict Pentecostal beliefs to clash with the locals and the country’s legal system when one of the children turns up to school with troubling bruises, and the community begins to ask questions. ‘Fjord’ is out on the 19th of August in France and 4th of September in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
Fjord press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Her Private Hell
Image Source: Getty
The day’s big out-of-competition screening was a stylised and hypnotic genre mashup Danish-American proposition which brought a return to feature filmmaking for daring and provocative Danish writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn and a trip back to Cannes, accompanied by his stars Havana Rose Liu, Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Kristine Forseth and Diego Calva for the world premiere of his genre-blending thriller ‘Her Private Hell’.
A madcap neon-soaked revenge horror/thriller set in a futuristic Japanese metropolis, where a troubled young woman’s path to finding her father crosses with an American soldier’s quest to rescue his daughter from hell, while a mist descends on the city and threatens to unleash a deadly supernatural reckoning on those below. ‘Her Private Hell’ is out on the 25th of July in the US, with no UK dates yet.
Her Private Hell on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Tuesday the 19th
Bitter Christmas (Amarga Navidad)
Image Source: Getty
The highlight of Tuesday’s official competition proceedings was another glimpse of Spanish cinema and a return to the riviera of one of its giants and a Cannes veteran, as celebrated writer/director Pedro Almodóvar was joined on the red carpet by his stars Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Bárbara Lennie, Patrick Criado, Victoria Luengo, Milena Smit and Nieves Álvarez for the world premiere of his tragicomedy cinematic exploration of identity and creativity ‘Bitter Christmas’.
An imaginative contemporary character dramedy following the fate of a filmmaker in a creative rut who finds inspiration in the loss of a close friend and collaborator, as he creates a female filmmaking alter ego to unleash a suppressed creativity and channel a story, only for the line between the two and between fiction and reality to become blurred, and uncomfortable truths to be revealed which risk losing themselves. ‘Bitter Christmas’ is out now in France and Spain, and on the 28th of August in the UK.
Bitter Christmas press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Minotaur
Image Source: Getty
Tuesday’s second Palme d’Or contender brought some unexpected Russian cinema back to Cannes and saw a return to the riviera for another festival favourite, as Russian writer/director Andrey Zvyagintsev brought his stars Dmitriy Mazurov, Iris Lebedeva, Yuriy Zavalnyouk, Boris Kudrin and Varvara Shmykova for the world premiere of his modern political personal character drama exploration of Russian oligarchy ‘Minotaur’.
A contemporary drama thriller adapted from Claude Chabrol’s 1969 French film ‘The Unfaithful Wife’, set against the backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian war and unraveling in a small provincial Russian town where a business executive is under pressure from an uncertain world and corporate realities which threaten his professional life, only for a shocking revelation about his private life to mount on top and throw his carefully cultivated existence into a chaos, which could all end in tragedy. ‘Minotaur’ is out on the 14th of October in France, with no other dates yet.
Minotaur press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Diamond
Image Source: Getty
The pick of Tuesday’s other screenings was a gala out-of-competition affair which brought some Hollywood glamour and American cinema to the riviera, as Cuban American screen star turned writer/director/producer Andy Garcia was accompanied by his co-stars Vicky Krieps, Rosemarie DeWitt, Danny Huston and Sofia Stefan plus producers Jai Stefan and Paul Soriano for the world premiere of his passion project tribute to the Golden Age ‘Diamond’.
A stylish neo-noir with period tendencies and flourishes from the sub-genre’s classic origins, set in Los Angeles where an anachronistic investigator with a difficult past delves into his unique abilities and a connection with an earlier time, leaning on his wits to help the police solve the City of Angels’ unsolvable crimes. ‘Diamond’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Diamond on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Wednesday the 20th
The Man I Love
Image Source: Getty
Wednesday’s official competition culminated in another taste of American cinema and a rare Cannes visit from US writer/director Ira Sachs, who brought along his stars Tom Sturridge, Rami Malek and Luther Ford for the world premiere of his latest LGBTQ+ character exploration ‘The Man I Love’. A period drama set in New York City of the late 1980s, where a street performance artist finds the promise of love and beauty as he finds himself in an extraordinary moment in time—a point in between great illness and death. ‘The Man I Love’ has no confirmed dates.
The Man I Love press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
A Man of His Time (Notre Salut)
Image Source: Getty
The other Palme d’Or contender of the day was a more local proposition which brought French writer/director Emmanuel Marre to the riviera for his offical competition debut, flanked by his stars Swann Arlaud, Sandrine Blancke, Harpo Guit, Mathilde Abd El Kader and Jean-Baptiste Marre for the world premiere of their French wartime period drama ‘A Man of His Time’.
A measured character study set in 1940 Vichy in central France after the country’s defeat to Nazi Germany, where a patriotic middle-aged engineer looking for redemption arrives with a self-published manifesto in hand and the goal of saving his nation, as he tries to secure a role in the new authoritarian ruling regime and prove his usefulness while a burgeoning resistance rises, only to realise that his goal of rescuing France from its fate may really be a quest for self salvation. ‘A Man of His Time’ has no confirmed dates yet.
A Man of His Time press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
De Gaulle: Tilting Iron (La Bataille de Gaulle: L’âge de Fer)
Image Source: Getty
In keeping with the homegrown and WWII themes, the pick of Wednesday’s other screenings was an out-of-competition gala which took on one of the giants of 20th century French history, as writer/director Antonin Baudry brought along his stars Tom Mison, Simon Abkarian, Florian Lesieur, Niels Schneider, Kacey Mottet Klein and Anamaria Vartolomei among others for the world premiere of their period drama portrait of Charles de Gaulle ‘De Gaulle: Tilting Iron’.
The first part of a two part chronicle of the iconic French statesman, set in 1940 and focusing on the little known French general in exile after the collapse of his country to Nazi Germany as he defies the odds to become a resistance leader in Britain, convincing the world that the battle for his county is not over whilst mobilising an international network to join their cause of freedom against a seemingly unstoppable force. ‘De Gaulle: Tilting Iron’ is out on the 10th of June in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
De Gaulle: Tilting Iron on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Thursday the 21st
Coward
Image Source: Getty
The penultimate day of screenings at Cannes this year brought Belgian cinema to the official competition and writer/director Lukas Dhont back to the riviera for his third feature in a row, flanked by his stars Valentin Campagne, Emmanuel Macchia, Jef Jacobs and Willem De Schryver plus screenwriter Angelo Tijssens among others for the world premiere of his first crack at a period piece ‘Coward’.
A World War I drama set at the height of the conflict on the Western front, where a rookie Belgian soldier desperate to prove his worth meets a comrade with a plan to lift troop morale—staging a theatre show—as the two bond over ways to escape the brutality of the trenches whenever and however they can. ‘Coward’ has no confirmed release dates yet.
Coward on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Black Ball (La Bola Negra)
Image Source: Getty
Thursday’s other Palme d’Or contender brought another taste of Spanish cinema to the official competition and actors turned co-directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo to the riviera red carpet for the premiere of their anthology exploration of homosexuality through the ages ‘The Black Ball’.
A series of stories inspired by the unfinished work of Federico García Lorca, chronicling the experiences of three gay men over different eras all connected by sexuality and desire, pain and inheritance. Ambrossi and Calvo were joined on the red carpet by their stars Lola Duenas, Miguel Bernardeau, Álvaro Lafuente Calvo, Penelope Cruz, Milo Quifes and Carlos Gonzalez, ‘The Black Ball’ is out on the 2nd of October in Spain, with no UK or US dates yet.
The Black Ball on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Victorian Psycho
Image Source: Getty
The pick of Thursday’s other screenings came in the “Un Certain Regard” competition and brought some British cinema to the festival, as American director Zachary Wigon brought his stars Ruth Wilson, Maika Monroe and Evie Templeton plus screenwriter Virigina Feito and producer Liz Siegal for the world premiere of their period killer thriller ‘Victorian Psycho’.
A costume horror adapted from the Virginia Feito novel and set in a gothic estate in mid-19th century England, where the arrival of an eccentric new governess charged with caring for the family’s children coincides with the mysterious disappearances of the manor’s staff, as the owner’s begin to suspect their new hire may not be what she seems . . . and her psychopathic tendencies begin to emerge. ‘Victorian Psycho’ is out on the 25th of September in the US, with no UK date yet.
Victorian Psycho photocall (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Friday the 22nd
The Birthday Party (Histoires de la Nuit)
Image Source: Getty
The final day of screenings on Friday threw up some further homegrown participation in the official competition and brought French writer/director Léa Mysius back to the festival, accompanied by her stars Benoît Magimel, Monica Bellucci, Hafsia Herzi, Tawba El Gharchi, Tatia Tsuladze, Alane Delhaye and Paul Hamy for the world premiere of their rural character piece crime drama ‘The Birthday Party’.
A rural thriller based on the Laurent Mauvignier novel and set in a remote French marshland, where a couple and their teenage daughter live alongside their only neighbour a middle-aged Italian painter, but their quiet existence is turned upside down when they begin to plan a surprise birthday party for the mother and bizarre occurrences begin happening in their village when mysterious strangers start appearing. ‘The Birthday Party’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Birthday Party press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Dreamed Adventure (Das Geträumte Abenteuer)
Image Source: Getty
Friday’s other Palme d’Or contender brought Bulgarian cinema and a pan-European production to the riviera, as German writer/director Valeska Grisebach returned to Cannes accompanied by her stars Syuleyman Alilov Letifov, Yana Radeva, Denislava Yordanova, Tiana Georgieva, Velko Frandev, Velko Frandev and Nikolay Shekerdjiev among others for the world premiere of her eastern European borderland crime drama ‘The Dreamed Adventure’.
A modern drama with Western tendencies set in the mountainous frontier of south-east Bulgaria, where an archaeologist working on a dig is inadvertently pulled into the criminal underworld when she reconnects with an old acquaintance looking for help, as they rekindle their friendship while the shady secrets of the little town in which she finds herself begin to surface, as does her own past, and she’s forced to decide how far she’ll go to protect her resurfaced friend. ‘The Dreamed Adventure’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Dreamed Adventure on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Crescendo (L’objet du Délit)
Image Source: Getty
The day’s other big gala screening was a homegrown out-of-competition affair which brought French actress/writer/director Agnès Jaoui back to the riviera flanked by her stars Daniel Auteuil, Eye Haidara, Claire Chust, Oussama Kheddam, Lucie Gallo, Tiphaine Daviot, Maxime Pambet, Loic Legendre, Vincenzo Amato, Patrick Mille, Herve Pierre, Emmanuel Salinger and Jacques Weber for the world premiere of their opera tribute and cinematic portrait of modern scandal and societal division ‘Crescendo’.
A comedy drama set in an amphitheatre in the South of France where an opera cast & crew are rehearsing for an ambitious production of Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, only for everything to be derailed by troubling accusations of sexual misconduct from within, as deep fractures begin to emerge between generations, ideologies, and positions in the show’s hierarchy. ‘Crescendo’ is out in France on the 27th of May, with no UK or US dates yet.
Crescendo on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Cannes 2026 Awards (Next Page)–>
Comments
Leave a Reply
Soundtrack of the Month
Mad Max: Fury Road
Films by Rating
