Cannes Film Festival: Cinema and Fashion Return to the French Riviera

The 79th Cannes Film Festival is currently taking place on the French Riviera, running from May 12, 2026, through May 23, 2026. The event features 21 films competing for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honor, while blending high-fashion displays with international cinematic premieres.

The festival’s programming extends beyond the main competition to include specialized categories and retrospectives. The Jury of the Immersive Competition awarded the Best Immersive Work Award to Katàbasis, a project created by Ugo Arsac. The 29th La Cinef Selection winners were announced by a jury presided over by Carla Simón and including Ali Asgari, Salim Kechiouche, Ji-Min Park, and Magnus von Horn.

In the Cannes Classics section, the festival highlighted the work of American genre filmmaker Roger Corman with a presentation of the 1958 film Machine Gun Kelly.

The red carpet and official photocalls have featured a variety of high-profile actors and directors. Recent appearances include Tom Sturridge, Rami Malek, and Luther Ford for the film The Man I Love, directed by Ira Sachs. Noémie Merlant and Marion Cotillard appeared for Roma Elastica, while Anamaria Vartolomei attended for La Bataille de Gaulle : L’Âge de fer.

Other notable productions appearing at the festival include La Bola Negra, directed by Janvier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, as well as Titanic Ocean, featuring Konstantina Kotzamani and Arisa Sasaki, and the film Ulya.

On May 21, 2026, the festival schedule included a rendezvous with Tilda Swinton and an interview with Diego Céspedes, a member of the Feature Films Jury. The day also featured a session titled Cannes 2026: Global Visibility in Service of Cinema.

Fashion remains a central component of the festival, with the Croisette serving as a backdrop for style statements both on and off the official red carpet. The event has become a venue for designers and celebrities to merge cinema with high fashion, ranging from formal gala attire to more casual, message-driven clothing.

This trend of using photo-calls for specific fashion statements was highlighted by director Luca Guadagnino, who previously appeared at the Venice Film Festival in a T-shirt reading No Dior No Dietrich. This was a reference to actor Marlene Dietrich’s demand that Christian Dior design her costumes for the 1950 film Stage Fright. The gesture also served as a preview for the direction of the fashion house under its newly appointed creative director, Jonathan Anderson.

Other attendees noted for their red-carpet presence during the 2026 event include Jane Fonda and Demi Moore.

The intersection of power, money, and art continues to define the festival’s atmosphere, where world-premiere screenings at the Grand Théâtre Lumière are complemented by a wide array of press conferences and parties.