The sidebars at Cannes 2026 are rolling out their programming, adding color to the festival after the Official Selection. Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week and ACID each present a mix of debut work and established voices, signaling the market’s appetite for bold storytelling.
The three strands continue to serve as launch pads for filmmakers on the rise and as a proving ground for seasoned artists. This year’s slate leans into bold premieres and provocative storytelling across a range of languages and regions.
Directors’ Fortnight
- Butterfly Jam — Kantemir Balagov (opening night)
- Once Upon a Time in Harlem — William Greaves and David Greaves
- Femme De Chambre (The Diary of a Chambermaid) — Radu Jude
- Dora — July Jung
- Gabin — Maxence Voiseux
- Clarissa — Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri
- L’espèce Explosive (Too Many Beasts) — Sarah Arnold
- Low Expectations — Eivind Landsvik
- Double Freedom — Lisandro Alonso
- We Are Aliens — Kohei Kadowaki
- Merci D’être Venu (Thanks for Coming) — Alain Cavalier
- I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning — Clio Barnard
- Atonement — Reed Van Dyk
- Shana — De Lila Pinell
- Death Has No Master — Jorge Thielen Armand
- Carmen, L’oiseau Rebelle — Sébastien Laudenbach
- 9 Temples to Heaven — Sompot Chidgasornpongse
- Le Vertige — Quentin Dupieux (closing night)
La Semaine de la Critique (Critics’ Week)
- Al Mahatta (The Station) — Sara Ishaq
- Dua — Blerta Basholli
- La Gradiva — Marine Atlan
- Wu ming nü hai (A Girl Unknown) — Zou Jing
- Six Months in the Pink Building — Bruno Santamaría Razo
- Tin Castle — Alexander Murphy
- Viva (Alive) — Aina Clotet
- Adieu monde cruel — Félix de Givry (Special Screening, Closing Film)
- In Waves — Phuong Mai Nguyen (Special Screening, Opening Film)
- La Frappé (Stonewall) — Julien Gaspar-Oliveri (Special Screening)
- Du Fioul dans les artères (Flesh and Fuel) — Pierre Le Gall (Special Screening)
ACID
- Barça Zou — Paul Nouhet
- Blaise Un Film — Jean-paul Guigue et Dimitri Planchon
- Cœur Secret — Tom Fontenille
- Dans La Gueule De L’ogre — De Mahsa Karampour
- La Détention — Guillaume Massart
- Living Twice, Dying Thrice — Karim Lakzadeh
- Mauvaise Étoile — Lola Cambourieu et Yann Berlier
- Promised Spaces — De Ivan Marković
- Virages — Céline Carridroit et Aline Suter
The Cannes Film Festival 2026 runs May 13–24, continuing its tradition of pairing high-profile titles with adventurous, independent cinema.
Source: Original article
