Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight Lineup 2026 Unveiled

Directors‘ Fortnight, the independent sidebar competition that runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival, is adding a splash of star power to its 58th edition, alongside some major filmmaking names from the world of independent cinema.

Heading a typically eclectic lineup, the 2026 event is opening with “Butterly Fly,” the English-language debut from Kantemir Balagov, the Russian director behind the acclaimed 2019 drama “Beanpole.” The film, set in a tight-knit U.S. community of Circassian immigrants, stars Barry Keoghan, Riley Keough, Harry Melling and Monica Bellucci.

Elsewhere, Romanian auteur Radu Jude returns with a quick-fire following up to last year’s “Dracula” with his adaptation of Octave Mirbeau’s “The Diary of a Chambermaid,” starring Ana Dumitrascu, Vincent Macaigne and Mélanie Thierry.

From the U.S., Reed Van Dyk brings his debut feature “Atonement,” starring Kenneth Branagh, Hiam Abbass, and Boyd Holbrook. Set during the early days of the Iraq War and inspired by real events, the film follows a U.S. marine’s attempts to reconcile with the survivor of a firefight that devastated an Iraqi family.

Thanks to Directors’ Fortnight, Clio Barnard becomes the solitary British filmmaker in the Cannes lineup. The celebrated indie director returns to the competition for a third time with “I See Buildings Fall Like Lighting.” Adapted by Enda Walsh from Keiran Goddard’s novel, the film — about five friends who grew up on a council estate — is led by an ensemble of fast-rising talent, including Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Jay Lycurgo, Daryl McCormack and Lola Petticrew.

From Argentina, Lisandro Alonso returns to Cannes once again with “Double Freedom,” which comes almost quarter of a century after his debut feature, “La Libertad” premiered in Un Certain Regard and set a benchmark for so-called slow cinema.

South Korean writer-director July Jung returns to the Croisette with “Dora.” The film, starring Sakura Ando and Kim Doyeon, centers on a young woman whose physical and emotional illness begins to lift when she falls in love. One of the more consistent Korean presences at Cannes, Jung’s debut “A Girl at My Door” screened in Un Certain Regard in 2014, while “Next Sohee” closed Critics’ Week in 2022.

Of three animated features in the lineup of features, “La Vertige” closes this year’s Directors’ Fortnight, while also marking the second film debuting on the Croisette from Quentin Dupieux, whose absurdist comedy “Full Phil” — starring Woody Harrelson and Kristen Stewart — is in the Midnight Screening section. The film was shot entirely in 3D using motion-capture.

See the Directors’ Fortnight 2026 feature selection below.

“Butterfly Jam,” Kantemir Balagov — opening film
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” William Greaves & David Greaves
“Femme De Chambre” (“The Diary of a Chambermaid”), Radu Jude
“Dora,” July Jung
“Gabin,” Maxence Voiseux
“Clarissa,” Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri
“L’espèce Explosive” (“Too Many Beasts”), Sarah Arnold
“Low Expectations,” Eivind Landsvik
“Double Freedom,” Lisandro Alonso
“We Are Aliens,” Kohei Kadowaki
“Merci D’être Venu” (“Thanks for Coming”), Alain Cavalier – Documentaire
“I See Buildings Fall Like Lighting,” Clio Barnard
“Atonement,” Reed Van Dyk
“Shana” De Lila Pinell
“Death Has No Master,” Jorge Thielen Armand
“Carmen, L’oiseau Rebelle,” Sébastien Laudenbach
“9 Temples to Heaven,” Sompot Chidgasornpongse
“Le Vertige,” Quentin Dupieux — closing film