More Cannes announcements! After the 2026 Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week lineup was announced yesterday, we now have the announcement for ACID, a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival curated by France’s Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema (l’ACID). The ACID Cannes section once again reaffirms its place as one of the Croisette’s most vital showcases for bold, independent cinema operating outside traditional industry systems.
For over three decades, ACID has distinguished itself through a singular approach: films are selected not by programmers or critics, but by filmmakers themselves. This collaborative, artist-driven model has created a space where daring, unconventional work can thrive, free from commercial pressures and rigid expectations. Each year, a rotating committee of directors reviews hundreds of submissions, with more than 650 features considered in 2026 before narrowing the selection down to just nine titles.
Over the years, ACID has helped launch or elevate films such as “Thunder Road,” “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,“ and “Chicken For Linda!,“ all of which went on to achieve critical recognition well beyond Cannes.
The 2026 lineup puts a strong emphasis on first features and emerging voices, alongside a mix of fiction and documentary storytelling. Among the selections is “Blaise,“ a debut animated feature from French filmmakers Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue, and “A Secret Heart,“ an intimate documentary portrait from Tom Fontenille of the Sauvage family. Elsewhere, “Born Under a Bad Star“ takes place in a scorching hot suburban neighborhood in the South of France during the end-of-year party at the local sports club, while “Detention“ explores the psychological conditioning of prison guard trainees. “In the Mouth of the Ogre“ follows three miners grappling with survival and moral compromise after a disaster, while “Promised Spaces“ looks at migrant workers navigating isolation and precarious living conditions within unfinished urban developments in just 76 minutes. Meanwhile, “Summer Drift“ delivers a quieter, character-focused story of labor and independence set in Geneva from debut filmmakers Céline Carridroit and Aline Suter, and “Rewind Barcelona“ is another directorial debut that reflects on youth, memory, and the passage of time through a group of skateboarding friends revisiting their past.
“A Secret Heart” (“Cœur Secret”) – Opening Film
Directed by Tom Fontenille
Documentary — 85 min — France — 2026
First Feature — World Premiere
“Born Under A Bad Star” (“Mauvaise Étoile”)
Directed by Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier
Fiction — 125 min — France — 2026
First Feature — World Premiere
“Blaise”
Directed by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue
Animation — 82 min — France — 2026
First Feature — World Premiere
“Detention” (“La Détention”)
Directed by Guillaume Massart
Documentary — 132 min — France — 2026
Second Feature — World Premiere
“Dans La Gueule De L’Ogre”
Directed by Mahsa Karampour
Documentary — 86 min — France — 2026
First Feature — World Premiere
“Living Twice, Dying Thrice”
Directed by Karim Lakzadeh
Fiction — 103 min — Iran — 2026
Fifth Feature — World Premiere
“Promised Spaces”
Directed by Ivan Marković
Fiction — 76 min — France, Germany, Serbia, Cambodia — 2026
Second Feature — World Premiere
“Rewind Barcelona” (“Barça Zou”)
Directed by Paul Nouhet
Fiction — 86 min — France — 2026
First Feature — World Premiere
“Summer Drift” (“Virages”)
Directed by Céline Carridroit and Aline Suter
Hybrid — 89 min — Switzerland, France — 2026
First Feature — World Premiere
The full lineup for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival can be seen here. The festival runs from May 12th until May 23rd.
Are you excited for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival? What do you think of this year’s ACID lineup? Are you planning to attend the festival this year? Which films are you most looking forward to seeing? You can check out our reactions to the lineup here. Please let us know in the comments section below or on our X account.
