The Cannes Film Festival 2026 lineup has been revealed, and it will, once again, see stars walking the red carpet to present their latest movies. Some stars will even pull double duty on the Croisette, namely two French superstars: Léa Seydoux and Catherine Deneuve.
Artistic director Thierry Fremaux, with president Iris Knobloch by his side, unveiled the official selection, the popular Un Certain Regard sidebar and other parts of the program for the 79th edition of the world’s biggest film festival in a press conference in the French capital.
Deneuve features in Parallel Tales, Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi‘s first feature film since A Hero. The stellar French cast also includes Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel and Pierre Niney. Parallel Tales will screen in the competition section of the Cannes 2026 festival.
Meanwhile, both Deneuve and Seydoux star in Gentle Monster, the new film from Corsage director Marie Kreutzer, which tells the story of two women. Seydoux plays Lucy, who sacrifices her own career as a renowned pianist to support her husband after his burnout, moving with him and their young son to the countryside. The other woman is Elsa, portrayed by Jella Haase, who lives for her job as a special police investigator but must also care for her father, who has dementia. Described as a drama about “trust and deception, love and violence,” Gentle Monster was selected for Cannes’ competition program.
Plus, Seydoux also leads The Unknown, the new feature from director Arthur Harari (Onoda), co-written, like the Oscar-winning Anatomy of a Fall, with partner Justine Triet, and adapted from Harari’s own graphic novel. The actress stars in the film about a man who, after a passionate one-night stand, wakes up transformed into the body of the woman he seduced. Neon, which successfully picked the last six Palme d’Or winners, pre-bought The Unknown, which will screen in Cannes’ competition, for North America.
Among big names previously lined up for Cannes 2026 honors, New Zealand filmmaker and The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson will receive an honorary Palme d’Or in recognition of his life’s work, as will actress/singer/director and EGOT winner Barbra Streisand.
The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival runs May 12-23.
