The Cannes Film Festival have finally announced the complete lineup ahead of the biggest awards show of 2026.
On Friday, April 10th, The Hollywood News magazine reported that Iris Knobloch, President, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, revealed the full programme in a conference.
Like every year, this 79th edition also included popular stars, including Asghar Farhadi, Pedro Almodóvar, Pawe? Pawlikowski, Ira Sachs, Hirokazu Kore-eda, László Nemes and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Notably, a reported 2,541 feature films were submitted for official selection, down from last year but by 1000 compared to ten years ago.
However, the top prize frontrunners include Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda with AI-themed Sheep in the Box, Romania-based Cristian Mungiu with Fjord and Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev, whose film Minotaur focuses on wealthy Russians confronted with conscription.
Speaking about the movie's selection, Frémaux said many Western films would be a form of escapism from the grim reality of current affairs, with a focus on gentleness, songs, and nature, while others were bringing history into the present.
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival will kick off on May 12th till 23rd next month in the city of Cannes on the French Riviera, centred around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès along the famous Croisette.
