The cannes film Festival returns as a global showcase where filmmakers, stars and industry figures converge on the French Riviera. The 79th edition runs from Tuesday, May 12 through Saturday, May 23, 2026, and brings a compact slate of films in competition alongside out-of-competition screenings, special programs and high-profile tributes. Longtime festivalgoers often describe the Croisette experience as uniquely immersive; even former jurors have talked about how the event reconnects them with a sense of wonder and intense cinephilia.
This preview outlines the essentials: who will decide the prizes, which titles are generating buzz, how the red carpet and gala dress codes work, and what it means that a major television anthology will use Cannes as a setting and production backdrop.
Who will decide the prizes: the jury and the Palme d’Or
At the heart of the festival sits the competition jury, a group of international artists charged with awarding the top distinctions, most notably the Palme d’Or. The festival has made clear that this year the nine-person panel is presided over by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, whose films and television work have been widely celebrated. Alongside Park are performers and filmmakers such as Stellan Skarsgård, Demi Moore, Ruth Negga and director Chloé Zhao, plus Belgian director Laura Wandel, Chilean writer-director Diego Céspedes, Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty and actor Isaach De Bankolé.
The Palme d’Or functions as the festival’s highest prize: an emblem of artistic recognition that often boosts a film’s profile during awards season. Recent winners have gone on to garner Oscar attention, and last year the Palme went to Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, which later received Academy recognition for the 2026 season.
Jury dynamics and collaborative judging
Jury duty at Cannes is famously intense and intimate, with members screening all entry films and debating them at length. Conversations mix professional criteria and personal reactions: jurors compare filmmaking craft, thematic ambition and emotional resonance before reaching a consensus. This year’s panel blends actors who have premiered at Cannes with auteurs experienced in festival diplomacy, creating a mixture of perspectives likely to influence deliberations.
The films to watch: returning auteurs and contemporary debuts
This edition lists 21 films in competition, featuring names familiar to festival regulars as well as bold new voices. Notable entries include Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Sheep in the Box, a story about a couple and a humanoid infant; Pawel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, featuring Sandra Hüller; Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, with Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve; and Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, starring Isabelle Huppert. Such returns underscore Cannes’s role as a platform where established auteurs and daring newcomers converge.
Beyond the competition, the festival will screen out-of-competition projects and special presentations including Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell and Steven Soderbergh’s documentary John Lennon: The Last Interview. These slots allow celebrated filmmakers to present work without the constraints of the competition program and often attract large audiences and press attention.
How the lineup matters for awards season
While Cannes has introduced multiple eventual Oscar contenders, the festival also showcases films that remain divisive or deliberately provocative and thus may fall outside mainstream awards trajectories. Still, a strong showing in Cannes can elevate a film’s visibility significantly: past Palme winners and competition standouts have frequently gone on to secure Academy nominations and wider international distribution.
Red carpet rules, Riviera style and The White Lotus connection
Cannes does as much for fashion as it does for film. Expect guests to embrace resort and cruise collections inspired by the Mediterranean setting, but the festival enforces a clear dress code for gala screenings: eveningwear such as long dresses, tuxedos or dressy cocktail attire is required. The official policy also forbids nudity in public festival areas and discourages oversized trains or bags that impede movement—practical measures that preserve the flow into the main theaters.
On the production side, HBO’s The White Lotus set will use Cannes as a narrative backdrop for its fourth season. The creative team plans to film a recreated version of the festival after the Palais des Festivals and red carpet infrastructure become available once the official program wraps. Producers say the season will explore fame, attention and power dynamics against the festival’s unique social ecology, turning the Croisette into both subject and stage.
Tributes and honorary recognitions
Each year Cannes presents honorary tributes to cinema figures. For 2026 the festival will bookend the program with a tribute to Peter Jackson at the opening on May 12 and an honorary celebration for Barbra Streisand at the closing, recognizing their long careers and cultural impact. These events offer a ceremonial contrast to the competitive core and often draw major industry attendance.
Whether you follow the screenings, the style moments or the award conversations, the 79th Cannes film festival promises a concentrated encounter with contemporary cinema—an occasion where artistic risk, industry strategy and Riviera glamour intersect.