John Travolta’s beret, Demi Moore’s decaying gown, and Sebastian Stan’s shaved head – the Cannes Film Festival always offers up many viral moments, and 2026 was no exception. But while La Croisette’s red carpet provides plenty of glitz and glamour to keep outsiders entertained, it’s important to remember why Hollywood has decamped to France in the first place: the films. 

Now in its 79^th edition, since 1946 the 12-day event has acted as a launchpad for cinematic careers – case in point, Quentin Tarantino, who won over Cannes with Reservoir Dogs in 1992, Pulp Fiction two years later and has gone on to enjoy a starry career. Director Sean Baker also premiered his Palme d’Or-winning film Anora at Cannes in 2024, which acted as a precursor for its impressive clean sweep at the 2025 Awards Season, scooping not one, but five Oscars including Best Director. Case closed. 

Up to 100 films are premiered at Cannes each year, divided into categories such as Un Certain Regard, which focuses on upcoming talent, and Out of Competition, reserved for major blockbusters looking to debut at Cannes for the kudos but not compete for any of the actual prizes (the likes of Star Wars and Indiana Jones are no strangers to this category). What most directors are hoping for, however, is to have their film included in the Main Competition, which sees 20-22 films go tête-à-tête for the prestigious Palme d’Or. Chosen and awarded by a jury of heavyhitting Hollywood names, this year’s responsibility has been bestowed on South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook as president, with the wider jury including Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Chloé Zhao, and Stellan Skarsgård. 

But which film will they pick? Read on for the films that have not only stolen the spotlight at Cannes, but are in the running for the Palme d’Or on Saturday evening. Dun, dun, dun. 

The Man I Love

Director: Ira Sachs
Starring: Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Tom Sturridge, and Luther Ford
Release date: TBC 2026

The brainchild of Ira Sachs, The Man I Love is an intense, sad drama about an actor dying of AIDs in 1980s New York City, just as he is poised to take on a landmark acting role. It marks American independent filmmaker Sachs second time on La Croisette, having received rave reviews for Frankie in 2019 – which, similarly, follows the titular character dying of cancer – but The Man I Love has been in the pipeline for more than a decade. Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sachs says his experience working in New York in 1984, and the “deep, painful and also transcendent experiences of gay life”, gave him the understanding and passion to make this film. 

So, what can you expect? Rami Malek stars as Jimmy George, a famous and popular entertainer who discovers he’s dying of AIDs and feels stuck between life and death. His diagnosis spurs him on to continue working and mount a new play, meaning you’ll hear Malek on the mic for a couple of numbers. That said, and despite contrary reporting, this is not a musical – but it’s certainly one of the most anticipated films to premiere at Cannes this year. 

Paper Tiger

Director: James Gray
Starring: Miles Teller, Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver
Release date: October 2026

American filmmaker James Gray made his debut film, Little Odessa, in 1994 at the tender age of 25, and has since gone on to enjoy a career marked by hits including The Immigrant (2014), Ad Astra (2019) and Armageddon Time (2022). He returns four years after his last film with a starry cast in tow, including Oscar nominees Scarlett Johansson (who also acts as co-producer) and Adam Driver, alongside Miles Teller, to tell the story of two brothers who, in their blind pursuit of the American dream, become sucked into a Russian mafia scheme. This will be Gray’s sixth time in Cannes – but can he finally scoop the Palme d’Or? Watch this space. 

Hope

Director: Na Hong-jin
Starring: Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon as Sung-ae, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton
Release date: Summer 2026

South Korean director Na Hong-jin is a force to be reckoned with – especially when it comes to horror (watch The Wailing with caution). He returned to the French film festival this week with sci-fi horror epic, Hope, which has certainly made waves, with The Hollywood Reporter claiming it livened up ‘sleepy Cannes’. Set in a rural village near a demilitarised zone bordering North Korea, it follows a police chief and his officers as the local community is thrown into panic following local sightings of a tiger. As wildfires cut off connections to outside villages, fears escalate as something far more mysterious creeps in the woods. 

Butterfly Jam

Director: Kantemir Balagov
Starring: Talha Akdogan, Riley Keough, Barry Keoghan and Harry Melling
Release date: November 2026

Following previous Cannes debuts Closeness (2017) and Beanpole (2019), Russian director Kantemir Balagov returned to premiere his first English language film, Butterfly Jam, this week. Having left Russia when Putin invaded Ukraine, Butterfly Jam was filmed in France last year but hones in on the Circassian diaspora in New Jersey. The plot follows Pyteh, played by up-and-coming Turkish-American actor Talha Akdogan (who was raised in New Jersey and, therefore, nails the accent), as he juggles his ambition to become a pro-wrestler with working at his family’s diner in Newark. When his father makes a bad decision, Pyteh is forced to deal with the fall out and grow up quickly. The film has been met with mixed reviews, but we think the fact that Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough are featuring will be enough to draw an audience. 

Fjord

Director: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Lisa Carlehed and Ellen Dorrit Petersen
Release date: Winter 2026

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu has previously scooped a Palme d’Or for his 2007 abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days – and is vying for a win again with Sentimental Value's Oscar-nominated Renate Reinsve as his leading lady. Teaming up with American-Romanian Sebastian Stan, this film also marks Mungui’s English language debut, with a story about a young couple who move to Norway’s remote fjords to raise their family. It sounds serene, but soon the local community starts talking and the family comes under scrutiny, ultimately ending up in court. We love Reinsve – plus her coupling with Stan and the gorgeous backdrop means this is a surefire winner in our books. 

Fatherland

Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
Starring: Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler, August Diehl and Anna Madeley
Release date: Summer 2026

Another fierce competitor for the Palme d’Or, having won over critics when it premiered at Cannes last week, biographical film Fatherland follows a couple as they embark on a road trip across Germany during the Cold War. Filmed in black and white, Sandra Hüller forms one half of the intrepid duo and continues to ride the wave of success following her performance in Project Hail Mary. She is joined by Hanns Zischler, who portrays Thomas Mann – a German writer, philanthropist and 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate – as he embarks on a road trip from Frankfurt, West Germany, to Weimar, East Germany, with his daughter, Erika. Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, who won Best Director at Cannes in 2018 for his other black-and-white masterpiece, Cold War, this is one to watch. Literally. 

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