“You know, some people say that Cannes is the worst place in the world to see cinema. It’s a paradox. They have the new films , lots of interesting films premiering there for the first time. At the same time it’s such a mess and a confusion. You have to run from one screening to another.” – Miguel Gomes, Portuguese Film Director.

“This is what we have all come to Cannes for: for something different, experimental, a tilting at windmills, a great big pole-vault over the barrier of normality by someone who feels that the possibilities of cinema have not been exhausted by conventional realist drama.” – Peter Nicholas Bradshaw British Writer & Film Critic.

Come May, Cannes Film Festival aka Festival de Cannes, which prides itself as – A Festival With A Conscience – each summer month for 12 days from May 12-23, brings all cinema faithfuls under the ubiquitous umbrella platform wherein “diversity of voices, sensibilities and talents are showcased.”

The annual film festival, which virtually turns into a Cinema Hajj, has been “showing faith and commitment to hearing voices” who bear witness to the times we live in while ensuring the discerning audiences, film critics and enabling networking of those principally engaged with all aspects and business of cinema, “make new discoveries” by “fostering creativity in a single hub, underpinned by the four key goals: revealing, supporting, sharing and networking,” singularly and assiduously working and championing “the future of cinema.”

Cannes Film Festival, it is needless to say, in its chequered rich 78 year history, stepping into its 79th edition, has been consciously “kindling a love of cinema and encouraging others to pursue this calling” facilitating “discovering the filmmakers of tomorrow in order to reveal their works on an international stage and allow for a greater diversity of sensibilities and talents,” without let or laxity, “exploring and spotlighting young international creation” as also “bringing professionals from around the world together” holding a mirror to the mesmerising magic and marvel of movies.

In keeping with the Calendar Date, the Cannes Film Festival, has, without much ado, has announced the films of its official selection under the various heads – In Competition, Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, Midnight Screenings, Cannes Premiere and Special Screenings.

These were officially announced at the packed media conference by the Festival de Cannes President Iris Knoblock and General Delegate Thierry Fremaux, whose permanent team of the Festival de Cannes totals about 30 people alongside the committee tasked with viewing and selecting the films, which draws over 35,000–40,000 accredited professionals, attracting attendees from 160 countries, annually, for the mega cinema carnival.

While festival’s financial mainstay and muscle Marché du Film – the film market continuing to remain the key attraction, with over 15,000 professionals, 600 exhibitors, and 250 industry events providing the heightened buzz and brand for the festival.

As ever the festival’s competition line up of 21 choicest auteur works sees some of the cinema’s seasoned and heavyweights, who are the centrepiece and anchor of the festival, vying for the festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or the highest prize awarded to the Director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition. The award having been instituted as way as 1955 and continuing to be the most coveted honour and a gateway for the film’s / films prospects as it/they circle around the various film circuits including the Academy Award (Oscar) before making their theatrical release/s.

This time around the Competition Section scroll’s lineup sees the likes of renowned Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, much appreciated Iran’s Asghar Farhadi, most admired Japanese filmmaker Kore-Eda Hirokazu, Russian filmmaker Andrey Petrovich Zvyagintsev, Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski, Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, Hungarian Laslo Nemes, and the likes of very many illustrious auteur names.

Incidentally, from the entries and the selections announced, one can witness that there has been a conscious and marked shift and deviance from the otherwise Hollywood centricity with the focus this time around spotlighting more on international cinemas with strong submissions and selections from the Europe and Asia.

The 21 films competing for the Palme d’Or are, Pedro Almodovar’s Amarga Navidad, Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s A Woman’s Life, Spanish gay couple Javir Calvo & Javier Ambrossi’s La Bola Negra, Lukas Dhont’s Coward, Valeska Grisebach’s Das Getraumte Abenteuer, Hamaguchi Rusuke’s All Of A Sudden, Arthur Harari’s The Unknown, Jeanne Herry’s Another Day, Kore-Eda Hirokazu’s Sheep In The Box, Na Hong-jin’s Hope, Fukada Koji’s Nagi Notes, Marie Kreutzer’s Gentle Monster, Emmanuel Marre’s Notre Salut, Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, Lea Mysius’ The Birthday Party, Laslo Nemes’ Moulin, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, Ira Sachs’ The Man I love, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s El Ser Querido (The Beloved), Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur.

The festival’s Out Of Competition features six films: Antonin Baudry’s La Bataille de Gaulle: L’Age de Fer, Canet Diamon’s Guillaume, Andy Gracia’s Diamond, Vincent Garenq’s L’Abandon, Agnès Jaoui’s Crescendo, and Nicolas Winding REFN’s Her Private Hell.

The Midnight Screenings’ quintet include Full Phil by Quentin Dupieux, Sanguine the debut feature by Marion Le Corroller, Roma Elastica by Bertrand Mandico Jim, Jim Queen the debutant foray by Marco Nguyen & Nicolas Athane, and Gun-Che (Colony) by Yeon Sang-ho.

The Cannes Premiere will see La Troisieme Nuit by Daniel Auteuil, The Match by Juan Cabral & Santiago Franco, Kokurojo (The Samurai & The Prisoner) by Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Heimschung (Visitation) by Volker Schlondorff and John Travolta’s feature debut Propeller One Way Night Coach.

Finally rounding off the main menu of offering to cater to the picky palates of the itinerant cineastes and festival regulars is the Special Screenings which brings a string of septet features which includes Pegah Ahangarani’s first feature Rehearsals For A Revolution, another debutant foray Les Matins Merveilleux by Avril Besson, L’Affaire Marie-Claire by the director duo of Lauriane Escaffre & Yvo Muller, Ron Howard’s Avedon, Les Survivants Du Che Christophe Dimitri Reveille’s feature debut, Steven Soderbergg’s John Lenon: The Last Interview and David Tryhorn & & Ben Nicholas’ Cantona.

Meanwhile, the festival’s opening film will see the premiere of French director & screenwriter Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus Electrique, at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, hosted by Mistress of Ceremonies for the 2026 Festival de Cannes French actress Eye Haïdara.

Incidentally, the film will also be screened in movie theatres across France, the same time, offering audiences a chance to gather in harmony around the delightfully burlesque romantic comedy.

A leading figure of acclaimed French comedies, Pierre Salvadori presents his 11th feature film in 34 years who draws inspiration from sophisticated Hollywood comedy, with its brisk pace, confusion between lies and truth, and precision in writing and direction.

An avid admirer of Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder and Blake Edwards, Salvadori’s La Vénus Electrique set in 1928 Paris revolves around a young painter in vogue, Antoine Balestro, has been unable to paint since his wife died, much to the despair of his gallery owner, Armand.

One drunken evening, Antoine tries to contact his wife through a psychic. Unbeknownst to him, he is actually speaking with Suzanne, a humble carnival worker who has sneaked into the trailer to steal food. Suzanne proves to be a gifted fraudster, and, soon aided by Armand, she stages one fake séance after another. Little by little, Antoine regains his inspiration, but the situation gets complicated for Suzanne as she finds herself falling in love with the man she is manipulating… The film stars Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, Gilles Lellouche, Vimala Pons, Gustave Kervern, Madeleine Baudot.

1. https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/medialibrary/festival-de-cannes-2026-teaser/
2. https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/medialibrary/announcement-of-the-2026-official-selection/