79th Annual Cannes Film Festival Preview

Eyes of movie lovers everywhere are again turning their attention to France with the return of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Located in the French Rivera, this small town has become a mecca for cinephiles and auteurs as the hottest titles in world cinema screen at the Croisette over the next ten days.

Now entering its 79th edition, the festival is entering a new era where its pedigree is more renowned than ever before. However, this year feels different. Outside of the global political uncertainties, this year’s edition is what many have dubbed “Hollywood-lite” due to a lack of a major studio presence at the festival. Last year Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning had its world premiere at the Palais des Festivals. The previous one was Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and the year before that it was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Elemental. This year, no major Hollywood studio films have been announced to premiere at the festival.

And it is not just Hollywood that is missing, but the U.S. itself. With only two American filmmakers screening in the Official Competition and two in Un Certain Regard, there is a surprisingly lack of American auteurs. And it’s not just Americans who are missing, there is little representation from Latin America, Africa, and Oceania in this year’s lineup in all selections. Despite a promise from the festival that Cannes would remain a global stage, it appears that platform remains unequal

Although there is a lack of representation, there are still over 200 films from nearly 150 countries, selected from over 5,000 films submitted for this year’s editions. With 22 films competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or, jury president Park Chan-wook will be launching the race for the 2027 award season. With so many films in competition and outside of competition, here are 15 films you should look out for at this year’s edition of the festival.

All of a Sudden. Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Two women sitting by a river at night, one looking up thoughtfully while the other gazes into the distance, surrounded by city lights.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi returns to the Cannes film festival with his latest feature, All of a Sudden, five years after winning Best Screenplay for Drive My Car. All of a Sudden marks Hamaguchi’s French-language debut and it follows a director of a nursing home in the Parisian suburbs attempting to introduce Humanitude, a technique to treat patients with dementia with care, to her practice. During this change, she meets a terminally ill Japanese playwright. Led by Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, this drama is hoping to move the Cannes jury to tears as Hamaguchi chases the Palme d’Or.

Club Kid. Directed by Jordan Firstman

A lively party scene with people dancing and enjoying themselves, surrounded by colorful lights and a hazy atmosphere.

American actor Jordan Firstman (I Love LA, Rotting in the Sun), makes his directorial debut at Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard with Club Kid. Firstman also wrote the film and stars alongside Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, and Reggie Absolom in this story that follows a washed-up under-grown party promoter whose life takes an unexpected turn when he is forced to care for a son he never knew he had. Promising to be a crowd-pleaser about re-connection and redemption, keep Club Kid on your radar.

Colony. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho

A chaotic scene depicting a hallway filled with numerous individuals covered in blood, some appearing in distress and others agitated.

Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho returns to Cannes with another terrifying midnight zombie flick, Colony. Premiering in the midnight section, Colony follows a biotechnology professor attending a biotech conference that goes terribly wrong after a rapidly mutating virus takes over the convention forcing authority to seal the facility, trapping survivors inside. Promising to be a non-stop terrifying thrill ride, Colony is sure to be a hell of a good time.

Coward. Directed by Lukas Dhont

A group of young soldiers enthusiastically celebrating together, with expressions of joy and excitement on their faces.

Lukas Dhont returns to Cannes with his latest feature Coward after winning the 2022 Grand Prix for Close. Coward follows a group of First World War soldiers using theater to cope with the terrible realities of war. However, as with Dhont’s previous films, there is more to it that meets the eye as he dives head first into the human condition and the complicated reality of relationships. Starring a cast of newcomers, Coward is planning on moving audiences by showing the healing power of the arts.

Fatherland. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski

A black and white image of two serious-looking individuals sitting at a table, with a glass in front of each. The woman, dressed in dark clothing, is next to an older man in a light-colored suit. In the background, a man in formal attire is seated with an emblem on his chest.

Cold War director Pawel Pawlikowski returns to Cannes with his latest historical drama, Fatherland. In 1949, German writer Thomas Mann and his daughter embark on a road trip across a Germany in ruins. As with Pawlikoski’s previous films, it might seem narratively simple, but thematically they are rich with intrigue. Fatherland seems no different. Starring Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler, Fatherland explores the reality of returning to a war-torn home that exiled you.

Fjord. Directed by Cristian Mungiu

A family of six posing together outside near a marina with colorful houses and mountains in the background.

Cristain Mungiu, director of the Palme d’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, returns to Cannes with Fjord. Starring a bald Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, Mungiu prepares to make you deeply uncomfortable yet again as he dives into the complicated world of family dynamics and immigration as a Romanian family living in Norway is subject to an intense investigation.

Her Private Hell. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

A woman with long hair and a serious expression is illuminated by colorful blue and pink lights, creating a dramatic atmosphere.

Nicolas Winding Refn returns to the Cannes Film Festival with his first feature film in 10 years, Her Private Hell. The synopsis has been kept under wraps but what is known is that it stars Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, and Havana Rose Liu, and it promises to have plenty of glamour, sex ,and violence in what’s sure to be a hypnotic, unhinged thriller.

Hope. Directed by Na Hong-jin

A person riding a galloping white horse through a dense forest, holding a firearm, while another individual is seated on the horse, gripping a weapon.

Director Na Hong-jin returns to the Cannes Film Festival with his first feature film in 10 years, Hope. A remote village is confronted with a terrifying unknown that sends the town into survival and chaos. Starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender, Na is planning on keeping audiences on ther toes as he takes us into the terrifying unknown.

Kokurojo: The Samurai and the Prisoner. Directed by Kurosawa Kiyoshi

A dramatic scene featuring a man in traditional Japanese clothing standing and addressing a group of seated individuals in a dimly lit room, with a samurai armor display in the background.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa takes a step away from his usual route by making a period piece with Kokurojo: The Samurai and the Prisoner. Promising to be a blend of drama, history, and mystery, and starring Masahiro Motoki and Masaki Suda, Kurosawa prepares to show another side of his directorial skill as he takes us to 16th Century Feudal Japan.

The Man I Love. Directed by Ira Sachs

A man with short hair is leaning against the edge of a bathtub, partially submerged with his back to the camera. A hand is gently resting on his shoulder.

If I had a nickel for every time Rami Malek played someone battling AIDS, I would have two nickels. Ira Sachs (Passages) returns to Cannes after 2019’s Frankie screened in competition with The Man I Love, a film about an actor battling AIDS in 1980s New York who is hoping to put on one last great show. Starring Malek, Rebecca Hall, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Sachs is planning on giving us another insightful look into the mind of an artist.

Minotau. Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev

Three people engaged in conversation around a dining table during a nighttime setting, with soft lighting and a warm atmosphere.

Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev returns to Cannes with his latest feature, Minotaur. A director of a Russian company prepares to fire his employees but is halted in his tracks after he discovers his wife is having an affair. Alluded to be an allegory for the Russian-Ukrainian war, Zvyagintsev presents what is possibly his most ambitious and his most dangerous work to date.

Parallel Tales. Directed by Asghar Farhadi

A waitress serving food on a tray to a male customer in a cafe setting, with other patrons in the background.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won Oscars for A Separation and The Salesman, returns to Cannes with his latest feature, Parallel Tales. One part romance, another part thriller, it follows a young man spiralling in obsession as he falls madly in love with an older woman. Starring Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Cassel, Virginie Efira, and Pierre Niney, Parallel Tales is taking a look at the dangerous world of love and obsession.

Sheep in the Box. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

A man and a woman smiling in a green outdoor setting, dressed in light-colored clothing, standing side by side.

Former Palmer d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters) returns to Cannes with his latest feature Sheep in the Box. As with his previous films, he explores human connection through the most tragic of circumstances. With Sheep in the Box’s case, he probes the loss of a child as a couple welcomes a humanoid robot into their home to be their son. Starring Haruka Ayase and Daigo Yamamoto, Sheep in the Box takes a look at grief and the many ways that we explore it.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

A young woman with glasses and wavy hair, wearing a winter jacket, gazes thoughtfully against a colorful, abstract background.

Jane Schoenbrun makes their Cannes debut at Cannes with their latest feature, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. The opening film of the Un Certain Regard selection, this horror flick looks like a love letter to films like Friday the 13th and queer cinema. Starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, Camp Miasma promises to be a cinephile psychedelic dream.

The Unknown. Directed by Arthur Harari

A close-up of a woman looking into a mirror, with a worried expression on her face and her hand gently touching her cheek.

Arthur Harari, Academy-Award winning writer of Anatomy of a Fall, returns to Cannes with his latest feature, The Unknown. Co-written by Justine Triet, director and co-writer of Anatomy of the Fall, be sure to keep this film on your radar as it dives into body horror and dysmorphia as a photographer wakes up in the body of a woman that he was following home. Starring Léa Seydoux and Niels Scheider, The Unknown looks at sex, gender, and relationships through an intimate lens.