MY TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED 2026 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL MOVIES

Published 5/26/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

The ten films that premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival that I'm most excited to watch. 

If you haven't been following this year's Cannes Film Festival, I hope that through this ranking you discover some films to start looking forward to. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in alphabetical order) 

• Clarissa (Dir. Chuko Esiri) 

• Coward (Dir. Lukas Dhont) 

• Iron Boy (Dir. Louis Clichy) 

• La Gradiva (Dir. Marine Atlan) 

• The Samurai and the Prisoner (Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) 

#10

Viva Carmen 

(Dir. Sébastien Laudenbach) 

Plot: Andalusia, 1840. Returning to Seville after three years far away, 13-year-old Salva meets Carmen, a 20-year-old gypsy with a fascinating voice. Learning from an omen that death is coming for her, he calls on his street friends to save her. 

A storyline of this year's Cannes Film Festival has been the strength of the animation cinema included, with more animated films than usual premiering and most of them receiving strong reviews. Out of all the films on my list, this is definitely the least covered in the media and the least known about- so more so than most other films ranked higher than it, I'm excited to expose my readers to its existence. Sébastien Laudenbach's last film, "Chicken for Linda!", was one of my favorite films of 2024 and is one of the most vibrant and heartwarming animated films of the decade so far. I'm eager to see what beautiful animation and storytelling is in store next, and Bizet's "Carmen" seems like a great choice for a modern animated adaptation. 

Click here to watch the "Chicken for Linda" trailer. Seriously, if you appreciate animation cinema or simply want a cute 'n' clever 80 minute story you've got to seek out this fantastic film. 

#9

Hope 

(Dir. Na Hong-jin) 

Plot: A mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of the remote harbor town. The residents find themselves in a desperate fight for survival against something they have never encountered before. 

This film probably had the funniest reactions out of Cannes. Some loved it, some absolutely hated it. Critics were split down the middle divided. It's a Korean sci-fi western with a ton of (supposedly trashy) visual effect aliens that's also apparently a part one. No matter whether I end up loving this film or hating it, I think it is so cool that there was a big budget genre blockbuster in competition at Cannes this year. 

#8

Minotaur 

(Dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev) 

Plot: A high-powered executive's meticulously controlled existence unravels when professional crises, global chaos, and marital betrayal converge, pushing him toward a dangerous breaking point. 

Andrey Zvyagintsev is a filmmaker whose work I'm unfortunately not familar with, his Best International Feature nominated films "Leviathan" and "Loveless" are high on my summer watchlist, but based off everything that I've heard about him as a director and how much critics adored this film I had to include "Minotaur" on this list. I mean, it came in second place winning the Grand Prix. It could've only been a few votes away from winning the Palm D'Or, something I know that several critics were hoping would happen. This looks like it'll be an excellent film. 

#7

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma 

(Dir. Jane Schoenbrun) 

Plot:  A queer director making a slasher sequel becomes obsessed with casting the original film's 'final girl,' leading both women into psychological and sexual chaos.

The film title of the year, in my book. The only title this year where if you don't spell it in its entirety when searching it up on Google, you'll likely end up on some sort of FBI watchlist. Anyways, I am very much looking forward to seeing this film. Jane Schoenbrun is a filmmaker that made a major impact on me with their last film, "I Saw the TV Glow". That was one of my top five favorite films of 2024. I'm all for putting a ton of stock in Schoenbrun growing into a role as one of the most prominent, unique voices in independent cinema. This film looks so interesting, and it's already received the rave reviews to back my reasoning to be hyped for it. 

#6

Fatherland

(Dir. Pawel Pawlikowski)

Plot: At the height of the Cold War, Fatherland centers on the relationship between the writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika—actress, writer and rally driver—as they embark on a road trip in a black Buick cruiser across a Germany in ruins. 

The third film in Pawel Pawlikowski's spiritual trilogy of black-and-white films set in a broken Eastern Europe during the Cold War, "Fatherland" has for the most part received just as much acclaim as 2014's "Ida" and 2018's "Cold War". If you've seen one or both of those films, you'd know what to expect with this film- stunning cinematography from Lukas Zahl, exploring themes of cultural idenity, and all around very subdued in approach. I'm an admirer of Pawlikowski's directorial style, I'm a big fan of Sandra Hüller, and this was one of the highest rated films out of Cannes 2026- how could I not be looking forward to seeing this film? 

#5

Club Kid

(Dir. Jordan Firstman) 

Plot: A washed-up New York party promoter is forced to turn his life around when an unexpected visitor arrives. 

I don't know too much about this film. I know it stars and is the directorial debut of Jordan Firstman (I enjoyed his performance in HBO's "I Love L.A."), that it played out of competition in the un certain regard lineup, that A24 rushed to spend 15 million dollars acquiring it, and that people went nuts for it. On Letterboxd, this film has an insanely high curve of five star ratings. This film is speaking to people, it's clicking- maybe even more so than any other film that played at Cannes. A24 has a certifiable hit on their hands. That's all I need to know about this film to be very excited to see it. 

#4

Tangles 

(Dir. Leah Nelson) 

Plot: A young woman is forced to return to the conservative small town where her bizarre family lives to take care of her mother, having to deal with the cruel reality of her mom's Alzheimer disease and become the daughter they need. 

Sometimes I look forward to knowing I'll have a good cry watching a film, and this film isn't a tearjerker I'd be shocked. Out of all the animated films that premiered at Cannes this year, this is the one that stood out the most to me. Black-and-white hand drawn animation adapted from a deeply personal and heartbreaking graphic novel with a star voice cast that includes Julie Louis Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston? Sign me up. If it gets the proper distribution, I could see this being an indie hit and being in strong contention for an Oscar nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. 

#3

Fjord

(Dir. Cristian Mungiu)  

Plot: An immigrant Romanian family living in Norway is subject to an investigation and faces the scrutiny of the local judicial system. 

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival Palm D'Or winner! 

As of when I'm writing this ranking, I'm in the process of catching up on watching Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu's filmography- letting his sensibilities as a filmmaker sink in before this film's release later this year and likely awards run. So far, I really admire his unflinching and bleak style of directing- his films challenge you by making you ask questions about his characters and presentation of social issues, which looks to be exactly what we should expect from his newest film and second Palm D'Or winner "Fjord". This film and its subsequent Palm D'Or win has people talking, and I love it when a good film causes divisive discussion over characters and themes. The word on Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve's performances has been very strong as well, which comes to no surprise of my own as they are two of my favorite actors currently working. 

#2

All of a Sudden 

(Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)  

Plot: Two scholars exchange letters about chance and risk. As the philosopher falls ill, their academic correspondence evolves into intimate discussions about mortality and a deeper connection forms between them. 

From what I've heard listening to critics/creators I follow that were there, if you asked a Cannes attendee what their favorite film in competition was there was a strong chance they'd say Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's "All of a Sudden". This film made a splash, receiving some of the highest critical praise out of the fest- with many saying it's just as great or even better than "Drive My Car", Hamaguchi's 2021 breakout hit that was nominated for Best Picture and to me is one of the few films this decade that I'd say is worthy of being called a masterpiece. I can't wait for all three hours and sixteen minutes of this film, a long runtime that in Hamaguchi's hands I trust completely. 

#1

The Black Ball 

(Dir. Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo)  

Plot: Comprises of a neorealist tale of a closeted young man seeking membership at a casino in 1932, a tragic wartime romance set in 1937, and a lo-fi drama about a historian prompted to investigate all of this in 2017. 

Definitely the biggest breakout film of Cannes 2026, definitely the biggest across the board Oscar contender, and definitely the film out of this year's fest that I'm most excited to see. I feel like "All of a Sudden" will probably be the film that I rate the highest based off what I've heard about it and my overall love of Hamaguchi's filmmaking, but reading the reactions for "The Black Ball" I was exhilarated. Sometimes when a film gets such passionate, exciting reviews out of a festival that I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, just a happy little cinephile that knows a special movie just premiered. I'm a sucker for intercutting narratives, large scale emotional epics that are described as feeling like "old Hollywood", and films that are from exciting young directors such as Los Javis. I'm already seated for "The Black Ball".