Summary of this article
Cannes 2026 sees only two official Indian selections.
A student film and a venerated classic have made it in.
At the Marché du Film, Chidambaram's new film, Balan, is a major highlight.
The upcoming 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival offers a rather arid scene for official representation of Indian cinema. There are just two primary selections.
Shadows of the Moonless Nights, a Punjabi-language short film directed by Film and Television Institute of India student Mehar Malhotra, is at La Cinef Competitive section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. It follows Rajan, a weary factory worker, who endures grueling shifts and a volatile home life, drifting through sleepless nights in the city as he tries to reclaim the rest that always seems just out of reach. Grand Prix-winning filmmaker Payal Kapadia's short Afternoon Clouds played in La Cinef section in 2017. Two FTII students' films have won the top prize at La Cinef: Catdog (2020) by Ashmita Guha Neogi and Sunflowers Were the First One to Know... (2024) by Chidananda S Naik.
The other official selection is in Cannes Classics. A regular in the section, Film Heritage Foundation returns for the fifth year in a row to present a 4K restoration of John Abraham's 1986 film, Amma Ariyan (Report to Mother).
The Marché du Film is among the largest film markets globally and is conducted alongside the Cannes Film Festival. There's a slew of Indian titles. It must be noted that these are paid for and arranged by the film teams themselves. Two Marathi films are headed. A panel of experts, including Chhaya Kadam, Amol Parchure, Trupti Bhoir, Bhausaheb Karhade and Vijay Khochikar, curated the projects to be sent. Directed by Ravindra Jadhav, Jeev ( The Creature) explores the traditions and customs of the tribal Konkani community in Maharashtra. When the elder of the Chaure family, father of the young protagonist Miru, dies on the day of Holi, an ancient custom is invoked. Until the departed soul (jeev) returns to the family by the next Holi, no festivals may be celebrated and no sweets prepared.
April May 99, directed by Rohan Mapuskar, is a nostalgic coming of age tale set in the pre-digital summer of 1999 in Shrivardhan. Three 14-year-old best friends Krushna, Prasad, and Siddhesh eagerly await their school vacation filled with cycling, games, and carefree adventures.
From the Malayalam film industry, filmmaker Chidambaram will take his film Balan: The Boy to the Cannes market. Penned by Jithu Madhavan, Balan: The Boy traces a journey that delves into themes of identity, survival and the relationship between a mother and her child. Chidambaram broke out in 2024 with his survival thriller, Manjummel Boys. Speaking about the new film's Cannes market showcase, director Chidambaram said, “Balan The Boy is a film about what we carry without knowing… the weight of where we come from, and the hunger to find where we belong. I made this film for the person who has felt both of those things deeply and never found the words for them. Cannes has always been a home for cinema that trusts its audience with exactly that kind of truth and Balan The Boy trusts its audience completely. To feel before they understand. And to carry something home long after it is over.”
Directed by Manisha K Makwana, the Ahsaas Channa-starrer Gudgudi is set for a screening. It is produced by Mukesh Chhabra and White Peacock Films. Exploring Alzheimer's and emotional struggles of caregivers, Kannada filmmaker Karen Kshiti Suvarna's debut September 21 is also anticipated.
First Ray Films, the Mumbai-based production company founded by actor-filmmaker Anshuman Jha, has also set six films covering 2026 to 2028 to be presented at the market. Two notable directors include Parth Saurabh and Devashish Makhija.
