The 2026 Cannes lineup is announced with headliners including Palme d’Or winners Cristian Mungiu and Hirokazu Kore-eda, Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, and American indie Ira Sachs.

Park Chan-wook serves as jury president for a nine-member competition jury, as Netflix titles are excluded due to French release-window laws, and Barbra Streisand and Peter Jackson receive honorary Palmes.

Opening the festival is Pierre Salvadori’s The Electric Kiss, a 1920s-set film, with further details to be clarified at the lineup unveiling.

The article promises more updates to come as the lineup develops.

Among the competition entries, titles like Sheep in the Box and All of a Sudden explore AI themes and Paris-set narratives, highlighting Kore-eda and Hamaguchi in key roles.

Cannes is positioned as a barometer of global cinema trends, signaling a shift toward more international arthouse titles and fewer traditional blockbusters.

Festival director Frémaux emphasizes a balance of historical films and escapism, with a focus on gentleness, nature, and family amid global tensions.

The program reflects a broader tilt toward non-English-language titles and auteur-driven works, aligning with a lighter Hollywood presence this year.

Further official selections, including Un Certain Regard and other program elements, will be clarified in the live lineup reveal.

The lineup is expected to grow with additional titles announced in the coming days, maintaining ongoing buzz around Cannes.

Highlights include Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur and Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas returning to competition, with Almodóvar marking his seventh Cannes selection.

Overall, the festival signals fewer blockbusters and more auteur-driven, non-English-language titles, reinforcing Cannes as a resilient, inclusive platform for global cinema.