Cannes 2026 Unveils Art House-Stacked Lineup Headlined by Almodóvar, Farhadi, Kore-eda and Sachs

The Cannes Film Festival has revealed its lineup for its 79th edition, assembling one of the most art house-driven selections in recent memory, with celebrated auteurs from across the globe set to compete and screen on the Croisette.

Ira Sachs, Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, and Hirokazu Kore-eda lead the charge, with each filmmaker bringing new work to one of cinema's most prestigious stages. The quartet represents a cross-section of contemporary world cinema, spanning American independent film, Spanish melodrama, Iranian drama, and Japanese humanism.

The lineup extends well beyond those four marquee names. Steven Soderbergh, a longtime Cannes favorite, returns alongside Andy Garcia, Marie Kreutzer, and László Nemes, the Hungarian director whose debut Son of Saul won the Grand Prix at the festival more than a decade ago.

German New Cinema veteran Volker Schlöndorff also makes an appearance, joining a slate that bridges generations of filmmaking. His presence alongside younger voices underscores the festival's effort to balance legacy filmmakers with emerging talent.

Among those newer voices, Jane Schoenbrun, Lukas Dhont, and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi round out a lineup that signals Cannes' continued commitment to challenging, formally adventurous cinema. Dhont's previous film Close earned the Grand Prix in 2022, while Hamaguchi won the Palme d'Or for Drive My Car that same year, making both returns highly anticipated.

The 79th edition is expected to draw significant industry attention, with distributors and critics alike watching closely to see which films emerge as awards contenders heading into the fall festival circuit and beyond.