The official lineup of the 79th Annual Cannes Film Festival was announced early Thursday morning by artistic director Thierry Frémaux, and, as always, there was the usual tsunami of reactions online as to what’s in, what’s out, and what it all means. What is clear from this year’s selections, however, is that the festival has made a distinct move from big Hollywood films (and their publicity-generating stunts) to new works by the world’s most celebrated auteurs. And what a collection that Frémaux has gathered this year!
Even better, almost all of those top filmmakers are part of the Official Competition (Much less exciting is the fact that the festival has taken a step backward in the number of female directors whose films made the official cut, with only five women in competition, down from last year’s seven). With some of the greats of international cinema going head to head, the logical first question might be:
“What’s going to win the Palme d’Or?”
But let’s really get down to it. The real questions we all really want to have answered are:
1. What’s NEON got this year?
There’s no getting around it. The American indie production and distribution company has been on a tear at Cannes, winning the Palme d’Or an unprecedented six times in a row. A seventh win in a row might seem wildly improbable, but if you’re looking for who is going to walk off with the Palme, it’s always good to look for the culprit with the longest rap sheet.
Already, the studio has picked five films at the festival, four of which are part of the official competition: “All of a Sudden“ (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi), “Fjord“ (dir Cristian Mungiu), “Sheep in the Box“ (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda), and “The Unknown“ (dir. Arthur Harari). The fifth title, Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Her Private Hell“ will screen out of competition. It’s little surprise that the studio picked up the Kore-eda and Harari films — both have a previous relationship with NEON, which released Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters,“ plus “Anatomy of a Fall,“ which Harari co-wrote and for which he won the Oscar. This is Mungiu’s first association with NEON, though “Fjord“ does star one of the studio’s biggest names, Renate Reinsve. (Only Hamaguchi is a NEON newbie, but after “Drive My Car,“ how could the studio resist?) Yet this year’s lineup contains many, many more possibilities than the NEON four.
2. If not NEON, then who?
If, as is thought likely, the seventh time is not the charm for NEON to win the Palme, who might be the early frontrunners? Certainly one of the first names that comes to mind is Pedro Almodóvar, who, astonishingly, has never won the Palme but has returned to Cannes and Spanish-language cinema with his 24th feature film, “Bitter Christmas.“ Also returning is Paweł Pawlikowski, who won the Best Director prize for “Cold War“ but has never won the Palme. His latest, “Fatherland,“ is already creating enormous buzz, as it stars the woman of the moment, Sandra Hüller. Also highly anticipated is the first film in nine years from Russian master Andrey Zvyagintsev, whose last film, 2017’s “Loveless,” won the festival’s Jury Prize. In the intervening years, Zvyagintsev came close to death in 2021 from COVID but, after an 11-month recovery, has returned with “Minotaur,“ a political thriller said to blend crime drama with tragedy. Finally, Asghar Farhadi, who has won three previous prizes at Cannes for 2013’s “The Past,” 2016’s “The Salesman,” and 2021’s “A Hero,” is back with his latest, “Parallel Tales,“ his first film since he was acquitted of plagiarism charges in 2024. His reception back on the Croisette should be one of the festival’s more interesting stories.
Cannes juries, however, often look beyond the marquee names for their Palme winner, and this year’s jury, headed by Park Chan-Wook, may be no exception. Belgian director Lucas Dhont, who shared the 2022 Grand Prix for his tender drama “Close,“ is back with “Coward,“ a drama set in World War I questioning traditional notions of heroism and cowardice. Marie Kreutzer, whose acclaimed 2022 film, “Corsage,“ debuted in the Un Certain Regard section, moves to the main stage with “Gentle Monster,“ which will certainly garner attention, thanks to stars Léa Seydoux and Catherine Deneuve. The latest entry from Hungary’s László Nemes, whose Oscar-winning “Son of Saul“ won the festival’s 2025 Grand Prix, is “Moulin,“ his first French-language film centering on the real-life Jean Moulin, an inspiring hero of the French Resistance in World War II. In addition, among the most anticipated titles is “Hope,“ the first film in a decade from director Na Hong-jin, whose 2016 “The Wailing“ was widely considered one of the most influential titles in South Korean cinema (How do we know it’s a hot title? NEON just acquired it within minutes of this article posting). Finally, the most intriguing film in the competition lineup may well be the lone American entry, Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love,“ described as a “queer musical fantasia“ set during the AIDS plague. Especially for gay men of a certain age, any fictionalized depiction of the AIDS years is approached cautiously. But after “Passages,“ I trust Ira Sachs, and the film’s competition placement gives me hope.
3. Speaking of the Americans, where are they?
Just because Tom Cruise isn’t parachuting onto the Cannes beach doesn’t mean Yanks won’t have a presence at this year’s event. Festival stalwarts Ron Howard and Steven Soderbergh will be there with new documentaries — Howard profiles renowned photographer Richard Avedon, while Soderbergh is presenting “John Lennon: The Last Interview,“ which reportedly was filmed using AI. Other familiar names with films in the fest include John Travolta with his directorial debut, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,“ to be shown as a Cannes Premiere, as well as Andy Garcia, who directed & leads an all-star cast in the noir “Diamond,“ which will screen out of competition. Most excitingly, perhaps, filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, who conquered Sundance with her first two films, “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair“ and “I Saw the TV Glow,“ makes her Cannes debut in the Un Certain Regard section with her meta take on slasher films, “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,“ starring Emmy winners Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson.
Frémaux noted the lack of a significant American presence at this year’s festival, opining that the U.S. film industry is transitioning to one primarily focused on its domestic audience and has become cautious about its festival presence. That void has allowed Frémaux to present a wider assortment of international cinema to the Cannes audience.
4. What’s not here?
Anyone who was banking on seeing “The Odyssey,” “Toy Story 5“ or “Disclosure Day“ at Cannes was clearly dreaming. As always, many festival films will be announced in the coming days and weeks, but a few prominent titles expected to be announced were absent from the first reveal.
Many were hoping to see Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard“ on the list, but, at least for the moment, it is not on the roster. Also missing is “Butterfly Jam,“ the new film from Russian filmmaker Kantemir Balagov, whose “Beanpole“ won two key prizes at the 2019 Un Certain Regard. The fact that it also stars such bankable names as Barry Keoghan, Riley Keough, and Harry Melling made its absence an even bigger eyebrow-raiser. Keough also stars in another absentee, “Out of this World“ from Albert Serra, whose “Pacifiction“ was a Cannes contender in 2022 and was expected by many to be here.
Probably the biggest film absent from Thursday’s announcement was James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,“ his first since “Armageddon Time,“ which many thought was a shoo-in for the lineup. But all may not be lost for the Scarlet Johansson-led film. Frémaux has stated that he’s still chasing the film, which he called “wonderful,“ saying only that “some contractual issues“ still need to be worked out before a firm announcement is made. We shall see.
5. What about the festival’s other sections?
With much of the Un Certain Regard sections still to be completed and the lineups of the festival’s sidebar events — Critics’ Week, Directors’ Fortnight, ACID, among them– still to be revealed, several announced titles from various sections managed to pop out from the crowded pack.
Besides the Howard and Soderbergh docs, among the Special Screening highlights are “Rehearsals for a Revolution,“ the debut feature from Iranian director Pegah Ahangarani that centers on a personal political transformation, and Christophe Réveille’s “Les Survivants du Che,“ offering a fresh look at the legacy of Che Guevara. At Midnight Screenings, I am salivating at the prospect of seeing Yeon Sang-ho’s “Colony,“ the latest zombie epic from the director of “Train to Busan,“one of my absolute favorites. Joining the Travolta film in the Cannes Premieres section is the new film by actor/director Daniel Auteuil “When The Night Falls.” His last directorial effort, “An Ordinary Case,“ was a Special Screening at the 2024 festival. And “Heimsuchung,“ the latest by Volker Schlöndorf, the director of 1979’s Palme d’Or winner, “The Tin Drum” will be there as well.
If all this wasn’t enough to keep festival goers busy, both Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand will each be receiving an honorary Palme d’Or in recognition of their distinguished careers. Among those joining on the Croisette will be NBP’s own Matt Neglia, Cody Dericks, and Nadia Dalimonte, who will provide readers with the most complete coverage around of the films and special events of Cannes 2026.
Which films are you looking forward to the most? Anything jump out at you that more mainstream audiences may not immediately recognize? Are you planning to attend the festival this year? Please let us know in the comments section below or on our X account.
