This is undoubtedly a record year for the presence of French cinema in Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival—which will take place from May 12 to 23: nine French films, or majority-French co-productions, will be in the running for the Palme d’Or.
France remains, as always, a welcoming home for cinema and the birthplace of numerous international co-productions, and will be represented across all sections (including Directors' Fortnight, Critics' Week, and ACID - Cannes), with a total of nearly 105 new films produced or co-produced—including minority-French productions, short films, and XR content.
Competition
Just like last year, a French comedy will open the festival. This year, the honor goes to The Electric Kiss, Pierre Salvadori's eleventh feature film, which stars Gilles Lellouche, Anaïs Demoustier, Pio Marmaï, and Vimala Pons, and is set in 1920's Paris. A Les Films Pelléas production, whose It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'or in 2025.
A wonderful surprise: this will mark the Competition debut for the five French filmmakers whose films have been selected: Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, Arthur Harari, Jeanne Herry, Léa Mysius, and Emmanuel Marre. This superb new wave will be joined by four prestigious international filmmakers (Asghar Farhadi, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, László Nemes, and Andreï Zviaguintsev) competing with French-language films financed by French organizations.
Nine other minority-French co-productions, directed by leading international filmmakers (Marie Kreutzer, Andreï Zviaguintsev, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Cristian Mungiu, Lukas Dhont, Valeska Grisebach, Pawel Pawlikowski, and Koji Fukada) round out a dazzling lineup of French entries in Competition.
Official Selection - other sections
New feature films by Guillaume Canet, Agnès Jaoui, Antonin Baudry, and Vincent Garenq will screen Out of Competition, it is worth noting that three debut features (by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz, Avril Besson, and Christophe Dimitri Réveille) will be presented in the Special Screenings strand, which also includes Women on Trial, focusing on the 1972 Bobigny trial, which was a pivotal moment in the fight for abortion rights in France.
It's also worth noting that Christophe Dimitri Réveille's documentary Che Guevara : The Last Companions was presented as a project during its participation in the Locarno Film Festival's Match Me! program in 2023, a program supported by Unifrance as part of its initiative to help emerging producers make the transition from shorts to features.
Louis Clichy's animated film Iron Boy will be presented in Un Certain Regard, which will also feature new films by Judith Godrèche, Laïla Marrakchi, Rudi Rosenberg, and Laetitia Masson (the closing film).
Michel Leclerc's latest feature, Moliere, Cyrano & The Young King’, will have its premiere screening at the Cinéma de la Plage; and finally, Cannes Classics, in addition to numerous re-releases, will present Golden Age, Bérenger Thouin's debut feature, along with Jean-Gabriel Périot's latest documentary A Life, a Manifesto, as well as a documentary dedicated to Coluche, directed by Michel Denisot, among others
Parallel sections
At Critics' Week, which will open and close with two French films (In Waves and Adieu monde, respectively), the selection will notably feature two majority-French debut films: La Gradiva, by Marine Atlan, and Tin Castle by Alexander Murphy. Two French debut features will be presented in Special Screenings: The Blow by Julien Gaspar-Oliveri, and Flesh and Fuel by Pierre Le Gall.
As for Directors' Fortnight, the selection features a majority of French films or films produced in France, including Sébastien Laudenbach's latest animated film, Viva Carmen, Alain Cavalier's last film (billed as such by its director); and one of the two films by Quentin Dupieux presented at Cannes this year, the wildly hybrid Le Vertige.
Last but not least, in the Acid Cannes selection—which continues to focus heavily on French cinema—there are four documentaries, one animated film, and a majority of debut films, including two narrative features: Rewind Barcelona by Paul Nouhet, and Under a Bad Star by Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier (winners of the Grand Prix at the 2021 Unifrance Short Film Awards for Bachelorette Party).
Short films
It’s also a record year for French short films, with 20 films featured across all sections this year (Official Selection, Directors’ Fortnight, and Critics' Week), as well as three immersive works.
Documentaries
Eight French documentaries will be presented this year: Che Guevara : The Last Companions by Christophe Dimitri Réveille (Special Screenings), Tin Castle by Alexander Murphy (Critics' Week), Thanks for Coming by Alain Cavalier (Directors' Fortnight), Gabin by Maxence Voiseux (Director's Fortnight), A Secret Heart by Tom Fontenille (Acid Cannes), Into the Jaws of the Ogre by Mahsa Karampour (Acid Cannes), Detention by Guillaume Massart (Acid Cannes), and Summer Drift by Céline Carridroit and Aline Suter (Acid Cannes)
Animation
It has been a great year for French animation, with eight films across all sections—including Quentin Dupieux’s latest film.
Iron Boy by Louis Clichy, Jim Queen by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané (Midnight Screenings), Lucy Lost by Olivier Clert (Family Screenings) Viva Carmen by Sébastien Laudenbach (Directors' Fortnight), We Are Aliens by Kohei Kadowaki (Directors' Fortnight), Le Vertige by Quentin Dupieux (Directors' Fortnight), In Waves by Phuong Mai Nguyen (Critics' Week - Opening Film), and Blaise by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue (Acid Cannes)
The French films in the Official Selection of the
2026 Cannes Film Festival
Opening Film
Competition
- A Woman's Life by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
- Parallel Tales by Asghar Farhadi
- All of a Sudden by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
- The Unknown by Arthur Harari
- Another Day by Jeanne Herry
- A Man of His Time by Emmanuel Marre
- The Birthday Party by Léa Mysius
- Moulin by László Nemes
- Minotaur by Andreï Zviaguintsev
- La bola negra by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (minority-French co-production)
- Fjord by Cristian Mungiu (minority-French co-production)
- Coward by Lukas Dhont (minority-French co-production)
- Nagi Notes by Koji Fukada (minority-French co-production)
- The Dreamed Adventure by Valeska Grisebach (minority-French co-production)
- Fatherland by Pawel Pawlikowski (minority-French co-production)
- The Beloved by Rodrigo Sorogoyen (minority-French co-production)
- Gentle Monster by Marie Kreutzer (minority-French co-production)
Out of Competition
- De Gaulle: Tilting Iron by Antonin Baudry
- Karma by Guillaume Canet
- Forsaken by Vincent Garenq
- Crescendo by Agnès Jaoui
Special Screenings
- Marvelous Mornings by Avril Besson
- Women on Trial by Lauriane Escaffre and Yvo Muller
- Che Guevara : The Last Companions by Christophe Dimitri Réveille
- Madame by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz
- Spring by Rostislav Kirpičenko (minority-French co-production)
Un certain regard
- Iron Boy by Louis Clichy
- A Girl’s Story by Judith Godrèche
- Strawberries by Laïla Marrakchi
- Words of Love by Rudi Rosenberg
- Ulysse by Laetitia Masson
- Titanic Ocean by Konstantina Kotzamani (minority-French co-production)
- Ben'Imana by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo (minority-French co-production)
- Elephants in the Fog by Abinash Bikram Shah (French co-production shares not specified)
- Forever You Maternal Animal by Valentina Maurel (minority-French co-production)
- Congo Boy by Rafiki Fariala (minority-French co-production)
Cannes Première
- When the Night Falls by Daniel Auteuil
- Orange-Flavoured Wedding by Christophe Honoré
- Si tu penses bien by Géraldine Nakache
- Mary Magdalene by Gessica Généus
- Aquí by Tiago Guedes (minority-French co-production))
Midnight Screenings
- Roma Elastica by Bertrand Mandico
- Full Phil by Quentin Dupieux
- Sanguine by Marion Le Corroller
- Jim Queen by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané
Cannes Classics
- Golden Age by Bérenger Thouin
- A Life, a Manifesto by Jean-Gabriel Périot
- My Coluche by Michel Denisot, Julie Lazare, and Camille Bruère
- Zamine Bazi (Playground) by Amirhossein Shojaei (short film)
Family Screenings
Cinéma de la Plage
Short Films - Competition
- A Few Things Happening by a River by Daniel Soares
- The End by Niki Lindroth Von Bahr
- Thunder Platoon by Theo Montoya
- The Last Spring by Mathilde Bédouet
- For The Opponents by Federico Luis
- Sisters’ Swim by Lola Degove
- Nouvel Hair by Hadrien Bels
- Nobody Said Anything by Tamara Todorovic
Short Films - Cinef
Immersive Competition
- The Black Mirror Experience by Damià Ferràndiz and David Bardos
- Katabasis by Ugo Arsac
- Playing with Fire by Pierre-Alain Giraud
The French films in the
65th Critics' Week
Opening film
Feature films
- La Gradiva by Marine Atlan
- Tin Castle by Alexander Murphy
- The Station by Sara Ishaq (French co-production shares not specified)
- A Girl Unknown by Jing Zou (minority-French co-production)
- Dua by Blerta Basholli (minority-French co-production)
Closing Film
Special Screenings
Short Films - Official Selection
- Visit into Irradiated Land by Anne-Sophie Girault
- Adgwa-Ata by Zsuzsanna Kreif
- City of Owls by Zhenia Kazankina
- Man'mi by Aude N'Guessan Forget
- What Do the Maknines Dream Of by Sarra Ryma
Short Films - Special Screenings
- I Think You Should Be Here by Anna-Marija Adomaitytė and Elie Grappe
- The Sentinel by Ali Cherri
- Love Story by Laïs Decaster
The French films in 2026 Directors' Fortnight
Opening Film
Official Selection
- Viva Carmen by Sébastien Laudenbach
- Gabin by Maxence Voiseux
- Diary of a Chambermaid by Radu Jude
- Too Many Beasts by Sarah Arnold
- Le Vertige by Quentin Dupieux
- Thanks for Coming by Alain Cavalier
- Shana by Lila Pinell
- We Are Aliens by Kohei Kadowaki (minority-French co-production)
- Dora by July Jung (minority-French co-production)
- 9 Temples to Heaven by Sompot Chidgasornpongse (minority-French co-production)
Special Screenings
Short Films - Official Selection
- Free Eliza (Notes Of An Anatomical Imperfection) by Alexandra Matheou
- Eri by Honami Yano
- Pithead by Pol De Plecker and Wannes Vanspauwen
- In Search of the Grey Bird with Green Stripes by Saïd Hamich Benlarbi
The French films in
2026 ACID Cannes
- Into the Jaws of the Ogre by Mahsa Karampour
- A Secret Heart by Tom Fontenille
- Rewind Barcelona by Paul Nouhet
- Blaise by Jean-Paul Guigue and Dimitri Planchon
- Detention by Guillaume Massart
- Under a Bad Star by Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier
- Promised Spaces by Ivan Marković (French co-production shares not specified)
- Summer Drift by Céline Carridroit and Aline Suter (minority-French co-production)
