Cannes Film Festival 2026: Official Selections, Most Anticipated Films and Star Lineup

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival announced its official selection on April 9, 2026, unveiling a lineup that emphasizes international auteur cinema over major studio productions. The Competition section is characterized by a strong presence of filmmakers from France, Japan, and Spain, who together account for 65 percent of the films in the main category.

Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux noted that the festival has seen a quiet period regarding studio films over the last five to ten years. This shift is evident in the 2026 selection, which contrasts with the 2025 edition that featured large Hollywood entries such as Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning starring Tom Cruise.

Auteur-Driven Competition

The Competition section will open with LA VÉNUS ÉLECTRIQUE, directed by Pierre Salvadori. The lineup features several high-profile returns from previous Palme d’Or winners and acclaimed international directors, including Hirokazu Kore-eda, Cristian Mungiu, and Asghar Farhadi.

Asghar Farhadi returns with Parallel Tales, a feature shot in Paris. The film marks Farhadi’s second French-language project and stars Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, and Adam Bessa. It is the director’s first feature since A Hero, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2021.

Other notable Competition entries include:

• Bitter Christmas (AMARGA NAVIDAD), a Spanish-language tragicomedy by Pedro Almodóvar.
• Fjord by Cristian Mungiu, an English-language debut starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve.
• Fatherland by Paweł Pawlikowski, a Cold War drama starring Sandra Hüller.
• Hope by Na Hong-jin, featuring Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender as a married couple.
• The Beloved (EL SER QUERIDO) by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, starring Javier Bardem as a director estranged from his daughter.
• Sheep in the Box by Hirokazu Kore-eda.
• All of a Sudden by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
• Moulin by László Nemes.

The Competition also includes A Woman’s Life by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, La Bola Negra by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, Coward by Lukas Dhont, Das Geträumte Abenteuer by Valeska Grisebach, The Unknown by Arthur Harari, Another Day by Jeanne Herry, Nagi Notes by Koji Fukada, Gentle Monster by Marie Kreutzer, Notre Salut by Emmanuel Marre, The Birthday Party by Léa Mysius, and Minotaur by Andrey Zvyagintsev.

U.S. Representation and Indie Focus

The 2026 edition is notably light on U.S. Studio presence, with no studio blockbusters in the Competition. The only American film selected for the main competition is The Man I Love, directed by Ira Sachs.

Described as a musical fantasia of a city under duress, the film is set in 1980s New York and addresses the AIDS crisis. Sachs co-wrote the screenplay with Mauricio Zacharias. The cast includes Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall, Tom Sturridge, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Luther Ford.

Un Certain Regard and Other Selections

The Un Certain Regard section will open with Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma by Jane Schoenbrun. This section continues the festival’s focus on diverse international voices and first-time filmmakers.

Films selected for Un Certain Regard include:

• Elephants in the Fog by Abinash Bikram Shah (1st film).
• Iron Boy by Louis Clichy.
• Ben’imana by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo (1st film).
• Congo Boy by Rafiki Fariala.
• Club Kid by Jordan Firstman (1st film).
• UĻA by Viesturs Kairišs.
• La Más Dulce (Strawberries) by Laïla Marrakchi.
• El Deshielo (The Meltdown) by Manuela Martelli.
• Siempre Soy Tu Animal Materno (Forever Your Maternal Animal) by Valentina Maurel.
• Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep by Rakan Mayasi (1st film).
• I’ll Be Gone in June by Katharina Rivilis (1st film).
• Words of Love by Rudi Rosenberg.
• Everytime by Sandra Wollner.
• All the Lovers in the Night by Yukiko Sode.