Summary of this article
The organisers of the Cannes Film Festival announced the official selection for its 2026 edition.
A total of 21 films will compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or.
Cannes Film Festival will run from May 12 to May 23, 2026.
The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival will kick off on May 12 and run through May 23, 2026, on the French Riviera. The Cannes Film Festival unveiled this year's film lineup on Thursday (April 9). 21 films will compete for Palme d'Or, with strong Spanish and Japanese entries, and a 'bit less' Hollywood studios.
Cannes Film Festival 2026 lineup
Cannes Festival director Thierry Fremaux unveiled 21 films vying for the prestigious Palme d'Or prize, featuring former winners, newcomers from Spain and Japan.
Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda's Sheep in the Box, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beloved, Romania's Cristian Mungiu's Fjord, and Russia's Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur are the frontrunners. Cannes veteran Pedro Almodovar will appear for the seventh time with his Amarga Navidad (Bitter Christmas), while Oscar-winner Iran's Asghar Farhadi will showcase his Histoires Paralleles (Parallel Tales).
Paweł Pawlikowski, Ira Sachs, Hong-jin Na, László Nemes and Ryusuke Hamaguchi, among others, will also premiere new films in competition.
Sachs is the only American director in competition with The Man I Love, featuring Rami Malek.
On the selection, Fremaux said many Western films are a form of escapism from current global tensions, focusing on themes such as “gentleness, songs, nature", while others focus on “bringing history into the present".
He also introduced Rudi Rosenberg's French film Quelques Mots d'Amour (A Few Love Words) and said, "You see? We all need some love and gentleness."
Fewer Hollywood films at Cannes 2026
Out of competition, there will be documentaries about football legend Eric Cantona and the England-Argentina 1986 World Cup match featuring Diego Maradona's handball.
Unlike previous years, Cannes 2026 will not favour American A-listers. However, Woody Harrelson and Kristen Stewart will star in Full Phil by French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux.
"The United States will be represented. The (Hollywood) studios a bit less," Fremaux said.
Hollywood and Broadway legend Barbra Streisand will receive the Honorary Palme d'Or. New Zealand's filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) will also receive the honour.
