Cannes 2026 reveals Official Selection with Almodóvar, Farhadi and Travolta in the mix

The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its Official Selection for 2026, with a typically stacked line-up spanning returning auteurs, emerging voices and a few unexpected names.

Running from 12 to 23 May, this year’s Competition includes new films from Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi and Hirokazu Kore-eda, alongside directors such as Lukas Dhont, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Cristian Mungiu.

The opening film will be Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus Électrique, screening out of competition, kicking off a programme that blends established festival regulars with newer voices across the main strand.

Elsewhere, the Un Certain Regard section continues Cannes’ focus on emerging talent, with Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma opening the strand, alongside a number of debut features and international titles.

Outside the main competition, the line-up offers a mix of high-profile and genre-leaning titles. Nicolas Winding Refn returns with Her Private Hell in the Out of Competition section, while Midnight Screenings promise late-night energy with films from Quentin Dupieux and Bertrand Mandico.

The Cannes Premiere strand also brings some notable names, including Volker Schlöndorff and a directorial debut from John Travolta with Propeller One-Way Night Coach.

Meanwhile, the Special Screenings programme features a wide range of projects, from Ron Howard’s Avedon to a new documentary from Steven Soderbergh focused on John Lennon.

As ever, the line-up reflects Cannes’ mix of prestige cinema, global perspectives and buzzy premieres – with plenty more announcements likely to follow in the coming weeks.

The editorial unit

Cannes Film Festival 2026 does not have a release date yet.