The much-awaited lineup for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival has been announced, with previous Palme d`Or winners Cristian Mungiu and Hirokazu Kore-eda, as well as two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and veteran American indie director Ira Sachs set to headline. Iran`s representation comes amid the ongoing West Asia war.
Cannes 2026 line-up announced
Following the 2025 edition, which had a large Hollywood presence with Tom Cruise`s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Spike Lee`s `Highest 2 Lowest`, the upcoming Cannes will be dominated by international cinema and indie filmmakers, reported Variety.
The only American director to compete this year is Sachs with `The Man I Love` – a musical fantasy featuring Rami Malek. The film follows the AIDS crisis in 80s New York.
Farhadi will debut `Parallel Stories` featuring Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Pierre Niney, Vincent Cassel, and Adam Bessa.
Among others with the most star power are Cristian Mungiu`s Fjord featuring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, Pawel Pawlikowski`s Fatherland, Hong-jin Na`s Hope with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander and Rodrigo Sorogoyen`s The Beloved headlined by Javier Bardem.
Asia is also well-represented in the Competition with four films, including Japan`s Sheep In The Box. The most anticipated is said to be Korean Auteur Na Hong-jin`s Hope, which marks Na`s first feature since The Wailing a decade ago.
Hope features Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.
Two-time Oscar winner Pedro Almodovar will screen his latest Bitter Christmas in Competition. The film has already had a theatrical run in the filmmaker`s native Spain.
Notably, the Cannes team is expected to add more titles to the lineup in the coming weeks.
Leading the announcement on Thursday, Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux shared that 95 per cent of the selection has been revealed, while other films will be decided in the next weeks.
When Payal Kapadia shone at Cannes 2024
Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia made history at the 77th Cannes Film Festival (2024) by winning the prestigious Grand Prix for her film, All We Imagine as Light, the first Indian film in 30 years to feature in the Competition section. Her film was noted as a significant, diverse, and realistic portrayal of Mumbai, breaking barriers as one of the few films by Indian women in the competition. Following this, she was named to the jury for the Cannes Film Festival 2025.
Cannes 2026 is set to run from May 12 to 23, 2026.
