After debuting at 2017 Cannes Acid, Chinese Tao Zhang developed his second film Against the Flow at TFL 2021, which is premiering today at #Tribeca International Narrative competition.

After several student films in Cologne, German Alisa Kolosova presents her debut I Spy With My Little Eye – or Ants Don’t Eat Halva in #Tribeca International Narrative competition.

Probably under-recognised by the film industry – but not in the theatre, Canadian director Rodrigue Jean, discovered in Toronto & San Sebastian, presents his ninth film, Labrador – Autopsy of Silence, in #Tribeca International Narrative Competition. A bisexual thriller with magnificent scope,

Following several short films and a series, Dutch Mari Sanders presents his first feature film, Stand Up, in #Tribeca International Narrative competition for Loco. Disability is the obvious subject matter, and the film handles the expected scenes with seriousness. Unfortunately, the film suffers

Following a charming debut, Special Jury Prize at 2021 Karlovy Vary East of the West, Macedonian Dina Duma developed Skateboarding Is Not For Girls at the Cinefondation Residency, awarded at Cinelink Sarajevo, launched last evening in #Tribeca International Narrative competition for Kinology.

The true nature of this year’s festival was once again inadvertently revealed right from the pre-opening: a war film, not shy on special effects, between a disappointing artistic endeavour and a lacklustre mainstream production, Spanish a bit too much, starring a young star we will see again,

First seen at Berlinale Comp with her debut and already at 2017 UCR, German Valeska Grisebach returns to #Cannes2026 with The Dreamed Adventure for Match Factory. Set in an unusual (Bulgarian) setting, the lengthy digressions eventually become tiresome – especially as the festival’s last film.

After a short film in Cinefondation, a debut at Semaine and a second film at Quinzaine, French Léa Mysius presents The Birthday Party in #Cannes2026 competition for MK2. Indeed, something is missing.

Winner of the Caméra d’Or in 2018 and a surprise Grand Prix winner in 2021, Belgian Lukas Dhont returns to #Cannes2026 with Coward for Match Factory. While the first half lives up to the film’s catchy pitch,

A comedy duo who made their name with their debut gala screening in San Sebastian and won awards for their third series – a long, ugly affair – Spaniards Javier Calvi and Javier Ambrossi present La Bola Negra in #Cannes2026 competition for Goodfellas. A lengthy, indigestible literary tome,

After three short films, Catalan Maria Martínez Bayona presents her debut feature The End of It as a #Cannes2026 Premiere for Bankside. A daft script, three underused stars and a ten-minute stretch that’s vaguely interesting towards the end:

A French engineer and diplomat with a passion for cinema, Antonin Baudry—following an ambitious but unconvincing debut—presents the first part of the diptych De Gaulle: Résistance at #Cannes2026 OoC for Pathé. Covering a significant yet largely overlooked chapter of history, the film deploys

Following award-winning short films at Clermont-Ferrand and Locarno, and his award-winning debut at Cannes’ Semaine, French Emmanuel Marre presents A Man of his Time in #Cannes2026 competition for Charades.

Winner of the 2005 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, American Ira Sachs returns to the #Cannes2026 competition with The Man I Love for MK2. A gentle evocation of the 1980s, blending queer theatre with the rather restrained melodrama of his previous films.

A writer and, above all, a coach for actors, Christophe Dimitri Réveille presents the documentary Che at #Cannes2026 Special for Lucky Number. With its rudimentary technical execution—even in the animated sequences—the film is disappointing right to the end.

Discovered with his debut at UCR in 2002, French Christophe Honoré returns to #Cannes2026 Premiere with Orange-Flavoured Wedding for Pyramide. Following in Chéreau’s footsteps, the film offers something fresh:

Having already won the Best Director award, Danish filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn returns to #Cannes2026 OoC with *Her Private Hell* for Neon. Visually stunning but sadly lacking in plot, the film – with certain shots and editing points –

Following a short in Locarno & two others in Toronto, Belgium-based Palestinian Rakan Mayasi is presenting his debut Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep at #UCR2026 for Salaud Morisset, following a wip awarded in Sarajevo, Venice & Jeddah.

Following his debut, which premiered at Telluride in 2005, American actor Andy Garcia presents Diamond at #Cannes2026 OoC for The Veterans. On the face of it, it’s intriguing to see a film that a player has been dreaming of for 20 years, and whilst the tribute is touching in principle,

Following his debut at Biennale College, his second film at Rotterdam and a short film at Sundance, Venezuelan Jorge Thielen Armand is premiering Death Has No Master at #Quinzaine2026 for Lucky Number, after WEMW & Investor's Circle(!).

Special Mention here with a short film, Nepalese Abinash Bikram Shah returns to #UCR2026 with his debut Elephants in the Fog for BFF, following wip in Hamburg & Trieste. A pathetic caricature, with a weak and limited script and flat direction;

Following his Golden Lion, Spanish Pedro Almodóvar is back at #Cannes2026 with Bitter Christmas for Film Factory.

Having won the Label Europa award in 2013 for her debut, British Clio Barnard returns to #Quinzaine2026 with I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning for Charades.

Winner of the 2003 Golden Lion for his debut, Russian Andrei Zvyagintsev returns to #Cannes2026 with Minotaur for MK2. Now almost French, he takes on Adrian Lyne by offering his own Chabrol-esque remake.

Spotted by Pixar and later co-director of two Asterix films, French animator Louis Clichy presents his first solo directorial effort, Iron Boy, at #Cannes2026 UCR for Playtime. After a slow start, a few flashes of brilliance brighten up a rather tame film, mainly for Annecy.

Discovered with his debut at 2002 Directors’ Fortnight, Romanian Cristian Mungiu, winner of the 2007 Palme d’Or, returns to #Cannes2026 with Fjord for Goodfellas. Stuck in his role as a frontrunner who takes only calculated risks, the screenplay unfortunately abandons the teenage storyline

Having won awards at Carthage for her short films, Rwandan Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo presents her debut feature Ben'Imana at #UCR2026 for MK2, following a double-awarded wip at Jeddah last December. A striking debut in which a well-trodden subject is handled with finesse.

Having opened the 2022 UCR with his second film, French Arthur Harrari returns to #Cannes2026 with The Unknown for Pathé. A highly personal exploration of the father figure, the convoluted plot doesn’t go easy on the viewer but never becomes tedious – likely because it’s framed by two pills.

Following a fifth short in Cannes competition, Norwegian Eivind Landsvik presents his debut Low Expectations at #Quinzaine2026 for Salaud Morisset, following a wip in Goteborg last January. A rare and complex subject matter, the film is surprisingly bland until its anachronistic feel-good ending.

Seasoned filmmakers, French duo Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen present their debut film Jim Queen at #Cannes2026 Midnight for Global Constellation. Informative, entertaining and aimed at a broad, discerning audience,

Discovered here at Midnight in 2008 with his debut, South Korean Na Hong-jin – also in 2011 UCR and 2016 OoC – enters #Cannes2026 competition with Hope for UTA. An experimental B-movie had its place in the competition, but sadly the script is too thin – or too stingy – to evoke any emotion

Discovered at 2023 Karlovy Vary Proxima, Iranian Karim Lakzadeh presents his fourth film, Living Twice, Dying Thrice, at #Cannes2026 ACID. The provincial night-time setting had potential, but everything is too lacklustre – right up to the wild final act – to warrant an international release.

Following a short at Quinzaine and her debut at UCR, Franco-Moroccan Laïla Marrakchi presents her third film, Strawberries, at #Cannes2026 UCR for Lucky Number. A formulaic and predictable plot – beautiful cinematography and a talented actress, Nisrin Erradi, are not enough.

Dominga Sotomayor, Chilean also educated in Barcelona, former resident of Cinéfondation awarded for her third film at Locarno, presents La Perra at #Quinzaine2026 for Lucky Number.

Austrian editor Sandra Wollner won the Special Jury Prize at Encounters for her second film. Her third, Everytime, is released at #UCR2026 for Charades after wip in WEMW.

Following a doc premiered in Tallinn last November, Franco-Irish Alexander Murphy is presenting Tin Castle at #Semaine2026 for Films Boutique.

A former actress and now director of popular films, Frenchwoman Jeanne Herry, a former representative of the SRF, is presenting her fourth film, Another Day, in competition at #Cannes2026 for StudioCanal.

Primarily a comedy actor, French Daniel Auteuil returns to #Cannes2026 Premiere with When the Night Falls for SND. After a rather laborious first hour, this latest example of the Lyon resistance inevitably becomes moving in its final third, with those impossible choices à la Alan J. Pakula.

2015 Grand Prix winner here, Hungarian László Nemes, after two films at Venice, returns to #Cannes2026 with Moulin in competition for 193. A dark gem, the much-discussed final days both inspire and impress, like a tribute to Jacques Becker rather than Jean-Pierre Melville.

Primarily a TV series director, Madrid-born Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2022 Premiere, is hitting #Cannes2026 with The Beloved for Goodfellas. This meta-film is so ridiculous that a parodic reading is the only one possible; intended exclusively for Movistar/Canal+ subscribers.

An Italian-Swiss filmmaker based in Paris, Sarah Arnold won an award at Locarno for a short and was invited twice to Clermont-Ferrand. She is launching Too Many Beasts at #Quinzaine2026 for Playtime after TFL.

Sixth competition entry for the American James Gray, who has never (yet) won an award at #Cannes2026, with Paper Tiger for Veterans. Minor flaws – caricatured Russians and a heavily wigged medical coincidence – will likely cost him a top spot in the awards,

Joint winner of the Palme d’Or in 1979, German Volker Schlöndorff returns to #Cannes2026 Premiere with Heimsuchung for StudioCanal. Starting out as a rather saccharine novel adaptation, the film gradually takes on the weight of a testamentary work.

Having won an award for her pre-film short at Clermont-Ferrand and then been nominated for a César, French editor Avril Besson presents her debut Marvelous Mornings at #Cannes2026 Special for Loco.

Following his first co-directed experimental film, Grand Prix in Jeonju, Berlin-based Serbian Ivan Marković presents his second film, Promised Spaces, at #Acid2026, after a wip in Thessaloniki. A visually stunning and politically charged work, though not intended for a paying audience.

Having won an award at the 1995 Venice Film Festival for his debut feature, Japanese Hirokazu Kore-eda – winner of the 2018 Palme d’Or – is presenting Sheep in the Box in the #Cannes2026 competition for Goodfellas.

Having won Best Actress at Cairo and Fajr before being sentenced, Iranian Pegah Ahangarani won an award at IDFA in 2023 for a short doc.

Fench Pierre le Gall has been developing his debut Flesh and Fuel at La Femis & Angers since 2021, launched today at #Cannes2026 for Pyramide.

Winner of the Cinefondation first prize, the Franco-Costa Rican Valentina Maurel launched her debut film at Locarno and got Special Jury Prize. She is presenting Forever Your Maternal Animal at #UCR2026 for Heretic.

Without having confirmed after his first fiction, South Korean Yeon Sang-ho returns to #Cannes2026 Midnight with Colony for Showbox. While perhaps less surprising, the film consistently delivers pleasant and often stunning surprises: choreography and learning.