Cannes International Film Week
2026 Edition
Cannes International Film Week: The Digital Disruptor Cannes Didn’t See Coming, Unveils Award Winners for the 2026 Edition
When the Cannes International Film Week quietly launched in 2024 — streaming in tandem with the world’s most prestigious film festival — many in the industry dismissed it as a curious footnote. A digital echo. A minor chord in a symphony already saturated with film markets, red carpets, and yacht meetings.
Now, just two year later, the mood has shifted. No longer just a parallel experiment, Cannes International Film Week has returned with over 130 rigorously curated films, a clear vision, and a growing reputation among indie filmmakers and distributors alike.
There are no physical screenings, no standing ovations at the Palais. But there is something Cannes-adjacent doesn’t always guarantee: a deep commitment to discovery.
“We’re not trying to mimic Cannes,” says the festival’s director Kris De Meester. “We’re building an ecosystem that complements it — one rooted in access, curation, and equity.”
The Cannes International Film Week concludes on May 31, celebrating a fortnight of cinematic excellence. Over the past two weeks, the festival showcased 133 films from across the globe.
Today, Cannes International Film Week is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 edition. From 133 extraordinary films from around the world, the jury panel has selected the following winners:
‘Cannes Auteur Award’©
For elevating the craft of filmmaking through visionary storytelling and artistic excellence.
The Insides of our Lives (Netherlands) by Misja Pekel
‘Cannes Acteur Award’©
For advancing the medium of acting by embracing simplicity, creating deeply resonant and authentic portrayals.
Ayaka Onishi in Scenario (Japan) by Kazunori Miura
‘Cannes Lumière Award’©
For expertly transforming light and image into a motion picture.
Daan Kretschmann for Tokyo Toy Boy (Belgium) by Esli Balatova
‘Cannes Avant-Garde Award’©
For favoring or introducing new and experimental ideas and methods.
Becoming (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins
Best Narrative Feature Film
Doll (Russian Federation) by Egor Beroev
Best Documentary Feature Film
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett
Best Narrative Short Film
Franck (France) by Fabio Caldironi
Best Documentary Short Film
No Longer / Not Yet (France) by Jacquelyn Elder
Best Experimental Film
Trump Pinochet (United States) by Gerald Habarth
Best Underground Film
Dead, White and Blue (United States) by Mike Davis
Best Animated Film
El día que me quieras. El viaje de Gardel (Argentina) by Matias Mera
Best Music Video
Loser (Taiwan) by Mali Chen
Connecting Cultures Award
NŪR (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the) by Ryan Youngblood
Best Episodic
Hard To Swallow (United States) by Tunde Wey, Theo Schea
Audience Choice Award
to be announced on June 1st
For more information, to explore the full lineup, or to watch all the films (until May 31), please visit: www.cannesfilmweek.com
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2026
The Insides of our Lives (Netherlands) by Misja Pekel
Doll (Russian Federation) by Egor Beroev
Dead, White and Blue (United States) by Mike Davis
The Run Towards (Belarus) by Pavel Ausiyevich
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett
The Universe of Me, Brent Everett (Canada) by Francis Luta
Yalla, Baba! (Belgium, Lebanon, Netherlands, Qatar) by Angie Obeid
Bacon’s Histories: Study for a Portrait (Germany, United Kingdom) by Martha Parsey
Cosmographies (Chile) by Juan Francisco Salazar
Sila (United States) by Zaya Benazzo, Maurizio Benazzo
Zaad (Seed) (Belgium) by Dries Meddens
Me and the one I used to be (Argentina) by Maria Constanza Niscovolos
Coda (Singapore) by Jac Min
Creative Force (United States) by Alex LeMay
Nothing to See Here: Watts (United States) by Michael Soenen
Let it Dance (Australia) by Carolyn Corkindale
Where is Love? (United Kingdom) by Trojan Women Project
Forced Renewables (Spain) by Francisco Javier Fernández Bordonada
Hong Kong - Ga Yau (Germany) by marco di noia
Ahab Was Here: Reflections on Moby Dick (Bulgaria) by Todor "Tosh" Lichev
Aldo Baldin - A Life for Music (Brazil) by Yves Goulart
Franck (France) by Fabio Caldironi
NŪR (Congo, The Democratic Republic of the) by Ryan Youngblood
Scenario (Japan) by Kazunori Miura
We Who Remain (Norway) by Sindre Mangen Haram
Dead tooth (France) by Romane Eilahtan
Measurements (Italy) by Marta Capossela
Your Call (United States) by Alora Thompson
This Between Us (Belgium) by Helena Taghon
20:15 México DF (Argentina) by Alejandro Di Meglio
Pleasure Nature (Belgium) by Lewis De Cooman
Get You Better (United States) by Danica Jensen
Our Father (United States) by Jannelle Christa
Anchor (Portugal) by Helder Faria
Donkey Skin (Morocco) by Taha Aziz
Themis is Tired (France) by Ilya Demutsky
The Cost of Consideration (Adjusted for Inflation) (United States) by Tom Salvaggio
Fly (Germany) by Antonia Dipner
The Light (Hong Kong) by Angus Wong
Dragonfly (China) by Siyang Liu
Florence & Nina (Belgium) by Miel van Hoogenbemt
Sloppy Sunday (United States) by Christoff LeBlanc
On the way home (Hong Kong) by Lee Yat Fung
Sick Enough (United States) by Allegra Venturi
Release (Hungary) by Zoltan Gergely Szabo
It's Not That Deep (United States) by Aaron Razi
Sun Tea (United States) by Eliza Gill
Spring of Deception (United States) by Annika White, Carl Knight
Wanderer (United States) by Oscar Sayago
Super V (France) by Franck Janin
Pluto in Aquarius (Belgium) by Hippolyte Laveix
As they pass (France) by Patrice Masini
Tokyo Toy Boy (Belgium) by Esli Balatova
Georgie (United States) by Jennie Butler
Unscarred (Belgium) by Théo Roland
To My Grandfather by Sofia Samoylova
The Missing Post Office (France) by Clement Lefer
Manya (Portugal) by Faebitha Rahiman, Camila Amado Restrepo, Mariia Ivashchenko, Jean Jurado
No Longer / Not Yet (France) by Jacquelyn Elder
Dans un Souffle (Belgium, Hungary, Portugal) by Catarina Couto Gonçalves
The Caretakers | Care for one. Protect the whole. (United States) by Mital Patel
Darlinghurst Eats Its Young (Australia) by Madeleine Preston
The Last Island (Sweden) by Tobias Hansson
Caretaker (United States) by Verónica Rose Wood
The Mysteries of the Horizon (France) by Mathieu Sauvat
From Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America (United States) by Maxwell Schweik, Alyssa Beebe, Chess Cabrera, Reed Freedman, Mikayla Hall
Simulating Space (United States) by Dave Croyle
Voice Notes on Death (Germany) by Romy Persaud Drennan, Harry Crampton
Situational Awareness (China) by Yuehan Wang
Traveling flower (Poland) by Alina Dzmitrovich
Because We Are Born Girls (Belgium) by Maggie Lung
A Birmingham Symphony (United Kingdom) by Jemma Saunders
Ujvala Jupalli: Asterisk Athlete (United States) by Josephine Harrison
Ad Libitum (Mexico) by Antonio Guajardo Lara
Anima (France) by Elsa Poissonnet-Boyer
Woman Rising (United States) by Matilde Simas
Body of Noise (United States) by Al Crockett
Chinatown's Last Emperor (Australia) by Tyler Kang
Buzz (United States) by Nina Ruggero
This week doesn't really exist (Germany, Poland) by Piotr Goldstein, Olga Łojewska, Maksymilian Awuah
Greetings from Summerland (United States) by Harry Rabin, Joey Szalkiewicz
Trump Pinochet (United States) by Gerald Habarth
Becoming (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins
The journey (United Kingdom) by Mel Steele
Pico Sacro [The Holy Mountain] (Spain) by Alberto Lobelle
Devotion (Belgium) by Théo Naniot
The Temptation of an Ordinary Thought by Thomas Pappas
• (United States) by Derrick Schultz
Bloodlines at Sea (France) by David Munoz
Dynamics (Netherlands) by Teo Baehler
Scores for Mother & Daughter (Belgium) by Natalia Sardi
Home (Belgium) by Hanne Schillemans, Ralph Timmermans
Performance No.19190301 by Mingu Kang
Geography (Italy) by luca De Santis
They Are Killing Us... (Canada) by Maurice Cormier
Nonna's Seeds (Canada) by Patricia Marcoccia
Digits of Pi (United States) by Tom Bessoir, Joshua Pines
Beproeven (Belgium) by Karlijn Reynaerts
Tunnel of luv (United States) by Jeremy Pellington
Pretty People Picking (Canada) by Connor Kujawinski
SÔMA (Belgium) by Raphaël Vens
Gaslight (Hong Kong) by Bijou Octavia, Chloe Brooke
Roses (United States) by ANDi LAND
Bottlefeeder (United States) by Sophia Ryan Gatti
El día que me quieras. El viaje de Gardel (Argentina) by Matias Mera
Tear Tear Fruit (Hong Kong) by Paprika Chan
Monsieur Figaro (France) by Sarah Benhammou-Lionnard
Stitch (United Kingdom) by Ailsa - Ailsa Madill
Outbound (United States) by Eli Jeffery
91 Times Smash (United States) by Yuxin Yang
Love & Gold (United States) by Connor Van Dyke
Other I (France) by Alina Popescu
Retrieving Roadie (United States) by Luke Stone
Hard To Swallow (United States) by Tunde Wey, Theo Schear
The Eccedentesiast (France) by Séni Badji
Respire Fort (France) by Arthur Fanget
@love the series (Puerto Rico) by Annabelle Mullen Pacheco
26 Seconds USA Docuseries (United States) by Kelly Galindo
Ottilie Moore – Heiress in the Resistance (United States) by Dana Plays
Loser (Taiwan) by Mali Chen
Tamara Flores - Chingona (Austria) by Rupert Höller
Going Crazy - Orange Soda (Germany) by Milena Kaltenbach
Horizon (France) by analogmirage
Ghosts in the wall (United Kingdom) by Stephen Najda
Desk Job by Rageflower (Australia) by Michaela Le
The Chase (United Kingdom) by Jeremy Owusu-Ansah Boateng
Devil in a Red Dress (United States) by Demetricus Diaz Allen, Spiro Kochovos
Goodbye / Nevesoma (United States) by Anastasia Bezhan
Freedom (United States) by Mike Bennion
Kaundamani (Norway) by Mari Ørstavik
Pretty Girls (United States) by Benjamin Folstein