Cannes Film Festival
The most prestigious film festival in the world, on the Croisette
About Cannes Film Festival
The biggest film festival in the world
The Cannes International Film Festival was created in 1946, after a first attempt in 1939 was interrupted by World War II. For nearly eight decades, it has established itself as the most prestigious cinematic event on the planet. Every year in May, the city of Cannes and its famous Croisette transform into the world capital of cinema, attracting thousands of professionals, journalists, stars, and film lovers from all over the world.
The Palme d'Or, the supreme award
The Palme d'Or, awarded since 1955, is the festival's supreme award. It crowns the best film in the Official Competition, selected from about twenty feature films by an international jury presided over each year by a cinema personality. The greatest filmmakers have received this mythical distinction: Federico Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola, Wim Wenders, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Haneke, Ken Loach, and more recently Justine Triet in 2023 with *Anatomy of a Fall*.
An official selection of excellence
The Official Selection includes the Competition, the Un Certain Regard section dedicated to original and bold works, Special Screenings, and Midnight Screenings. In parallel, the Directors' Fortnight (formerly Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) and the Critics' Week offer independent selections highlighting first and second films. Together, they constitute an incomparable panorama of global cinematic creation.
The Film Market
The festival also hosts the Film Market, the largest professional market in the global film industry. Throughout the festival, producers, distributors, international sellers, and buyers negotiate rights for thousands of films, making Cannes a strategic hub for the seventh art's economy. The World Cinema Pavilion and numerous co-production initiatives reinforce the festival's role as an industry crossroads.
The red carpet steps and the Croisette
The walk up the steps of the Palais des Festivals has become one of the most iconic moments in the entertainment world. Every evening, cinema stars ascend the famous 24 steps covered by a red carpet, under the flashes of photographers and the gaze of millions of viewers. The Croisette, the boulevard along the Mediterranean, lives to the rhythm of the festival with its open-air screenings, parties, and encounters.
Cannes Film Festival — edition 2026
The 79th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival was held from May 12 to 23, 2026, at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, under the presidency of South Korean jury president Park Chan-wook. The Palme d'Or was awarded to Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu for Fjord, his second Palme d'Or after 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007. The Grand Prix went to Andreï Zviaguintsev's Minotaure.
A 79th edition presided over by Park Chan-wook
South Korean director Park Chan-wook presided over the feature film jury of the 79th edition, becoming the third Asian personality to hold this position after Tetsurō Furukaki (1962) and Wong Kar-wai (2006). He was surrounded by Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Chloé Zhao, Diego Céspedes, Isaach de Bankolé, Paul Laverty, and Stellan Skarsgård. Jacob Elordi, initially announced, had to be replaced due to an injury.
Opening and closing
The opening ceremony, hosted by Eye Haïdara on May 12, saw the presentation of an honorary Palme d'Or to Peter Jackson, presented by Elijah Wood. The out-of-competition opening film was Pierre Salvadori's La Vénus électrique. The closing ceremony, on Saturday, May 23, concluded the edition with the screening of Laetitia Masson's Ulysse, an Un Certain Regard selection. Tilda Swinton presented the Palme d'Or, and Isabelle Huppert an honorary Palme d'Or intended for Barbra Streisand, who was absent for health reasons. John Travolta also received a surprise honorary Palme d'Or during the festival.
22 films in competition for the Palme d'Or
The official selection 2026, unveiled on April 9, included 22 feature films representing global creation: Pedro Almodóvar (Autofiction), James Gray (Paper Tiger), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Soudain), Hirokazu Kore-eda, Asghar Farhadi, László Nemes, Lukas Dhont, Cristian Mungiu, Andreï Zviaguintsev, Paweł Pawlikowski, Léa Mysius, Jeanne Herry, Arthur Harari, Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, Emmanuel Marre, Valeska Grisebach, Marie Kreutzer, Na Hong-jin, Ira Sachs, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Kōji Fukada and the duo Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi.
Carrosse d'or and masterclasses
The Société des Réalisateurs de Films awarded the Carrosse d'or 2026 to French filmmaker Claire Denis. The masterclasses welcomed Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, and Peter Jackson. The opening ceremony concluded with a performance by Oklou and Theodora as well as a joint appearance by Gong Li and Jane Fonda.
Programme Cannes Film Festival 2026
Official Selection in Competition (22 films)
- Autofiction — Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)
- La Bola Negra — Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi (Spain / France) — Best Director Award ex aequo
- La Vie d'une femme — Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet (France)
- Coward — Lukas Dhont (Belgium / France / Netherlands) — Best Actor Award (Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne)
- Histoires parallèles — Asghar Farhadi (Belgium / France / Italy)
- Quelques jours à Nagi — Kōji Fukada (Japan)
- Paper Tiger — James Gray (United States)
- L'Aventure rêvée — Valeska Grisebach (Germany / France / Austria / Bulgaria) — Jury Prize
- Soudain — Ryusuke Hamaguchi (France / Belgium / Germany) — Best Actress Award (Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto)
- L'Inconnue — Arthur Harari (France)
- Garance — Jeanne Herry (France)
- Hako no naka no hitsuji — Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan)
- Gentle Monster — Marie Kreutzer (Austria / France / Germany)
- Notre salut — Emmanuel Marre (Belgium / France) — Best Screenplay Award
- Fjord — Cristian Mungiu (Romania / Norway / France) — Palme d'Or
- Histoires de la nuit — Léa Mysius (France)
- Hope — Na Hong-jin (South Korea)
- Moulin — László Nemes (France)
- 1949 — Paweł Pawlikowski (Italy / Poland / Germany / France)
- The Man I Love — Ira Sachs (United States)
- L'Être aimé — Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Spain / France)
- Minotaure — Andreï Zviaguintsev (France / Germany / Latvia) — Grand Prix
Out of Competition
- La Vénus électrique — Pierre Salvadori (France) — Opening Film (May 12)
Un Certain Regard
- Everytime — Sandra Wollner (Austria) — Un Certain Regard Prize
- Les éléphants dans la brume — Abinash Bikram Shah (Nepal) — Jury Prize
- Le Corset — Louis Clichy (France) — Special Jury Prize
- Congo Boy — Rafiki Fariala — Best Actor (Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset)
- Siempre soy tu animal materno — Valentina Maurel — Best Actresses (Marina de Tavira, Daniela Marín Navarro, Mariangel Villegas)
- Ulysse — Laetitia Masson (France) — Closing Film (May 23)
Honorary Palmes d'Or
- Peter Jackson — presented during the opening ceremony by Elijah Wood
- John Travolta — surprise presentation on May 15 before the screening of his film
- Barbra Streisand — presented by Isabelle Huppert at the closing ceremony (absent for health reasons)
Carrosse d'or (SRF)
- Claire Denis (France)
Short Films
- Para los contrincantes — Federico Luis (Argentina) — Short Film Palme d'Or
Caméra d'or (first film)
- Ben'Imana — Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)
Highlights Cannes Film Festival 2026
- Palme d'Or: Fjord by Cristian Mungiu (his second after 2007)
- Grand Prix: Minotaure by Andreï Zviaguintsev
- Jury presided over by Park Chan-wook
- Honorary Palmes d'Or to Peter Jackson, John Travolta, and Barbra Streisand
- Carrosse d'or 2026 to Claire Denis
- 22 films in competition and 9 international jurors
Prices Cannes Film Festival 2026
Practical information — Cannes Film Festival
Access
The festival takes place at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes.
- By plane: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (25 km), shuttle buses and taxis.
- By train: Cannes SNCF station (TGV from Paris in 5h, TER from Nice in 30 min).
- By car: A8 motorway, exit 42 (Cannes-Mougins).
Accreditations
The festival operates on a professional accreditation basis. Official screenings and events are not open to the public without accreditation. However, free open-air screenings (Cinéma de la Plage) are offered to the public throughout the festival.
Contact
- Official website: www.festival-cannes.com
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Where does it take place — Cannes Film Festival
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
1 boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes