Beyond The Red Carpet: Newsmakers From The Croisette

A-List celebrities missing

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival has opened with a noticeably different atmosphere on the Croisette. The yachts, photographers and luxury brand activations remain firmly in place, but the overwhelming Hollywood presence that defined Cannes over the last decade is far less visible this year.

The Festival Shift

The 79th edition of the festival feels more closely aligned with Cannes’ traditional identity; filmmaker-driven, internationally focused and centered around cinema as an artistic and cultural conversation rather than purely a launchpad for blockbuster marketing campaigns. That shift has become one of the defining themes of the festival’s opening days.

The Esteemed Jury for the Palme d’Or

It’s that time of the year when all cinematic routes lead to the French Riviera. Yes, we’re talking about none other than the Cannes Film Festival with its 79th edition all set to be held from May 12 to May 23. This year’s Competition jury will be led by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook as Jury President. Joining him on the international panel are Demi Moore, Ruth Negga, Stellan Skarsgård, Chloé Zhao, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé, and Paul Laverty, who will help select this year’s Palme d’Or winner. The lineup reflects the festival’s continued emphasis on international creative voices and filmmaker-led cinema. 

Hollywood Is Skipping Cannes

The biggest story at this year’s Cannes is not what is on screen, but what is not. Major Hollywood studios have largely sat out the 2026 festival, with no big world premieres from the likes of Disney, Warner Bros., or Universal.  Festival delegate general Thierry Frémaux addressed the situation directly while speaking about this year’s lineup, describing Hollywood as being in “a moment of transition” as studios continue navigating financial caution, changing audience behavior and theatrical uncertainty. Frémaux told Reuters while unveiling this year’s selection. “I’m sure that it will come back, and we will be there waiting.” 

The reasoning traces back to a string of post-COVID tentpoles that flopped after Cannes launched “Furiosa,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” and “Elemental” among them. Frémaux noted that each studio has its own strategy, and pointed to US indie representation through James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love,” and Steven Soderbergh’s documentary “John Lennon: The Last Interview” as proof that American cinema is still present on the Croisette, even if the studios are not.

Opening Night: “Pan’s Labyrinth” Returns to Cannes

The festival will open with a special screening of Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth,” making a return to Cannes 20 years after it earned the longest standing ovation in the festival’s history, which was 22 minutes. The restored version, presented by Cineverse, will premiere as part of the Cannes Classics selection, in the Debussy Theatre, in the presence of del Toro today on Tuesday.

India making its presence felt

India’s presence at Cannes 2026 will be regal as ever. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, and Aditi Rao Hydari are all attending as L’Oréal Paris ambassadors, continuing India’s strong association with the festival’s beauty partner. Karan Johar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Tara Sutaria, Mouni Roy, and Amyra Dastur will also be in attendance. Indian viewers can follow the festival live through the Festival de Cannes YouTube channel and through DD India on JioTV, which is running a special program titled ‘79th Cannes: Stars, Stories And Cinema.’

The “Fast & Furious” 25th Anniversary

In lieu of a big Hollywood world premiere, Universal will be showcasing a midnight screening of the original “The Fast and the Furious” at the Grand Lumière Theatre to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary. Frémaux called it “a wonderful idea.” Meadow Walker, daughter of the late Paul Walker, will be in attendance in her father’s honor. Add to that, there’s more in store for fans of the franchise as Vin Diesel made a recent announcement at the NBCUniversal upfronts that a “Fast & Furious” television series is in development at Peacock.

Say goodbye to selfies on the Red Carpet

Cannes has signed a multi-year deal with Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as a new sponsor. The tech giant will be based out of the Majestic Hotel during the festival, promoting its platforms, AI, and wearable technologies, with a roster of Gen Z creators and filmmakers in attendance. But anyone hoping this meant the end of Cannes’ famously strict no-selfies policy was corrected immediately. When asked if the Meta partnership would lead to a change in the rule, Festival Director Frémaux’s response was a single word: No.

Auteur Cinema in the Spotlight

This year’s Cannes lineup includes films from Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Cristian Mungiu, Pawel Pawlikowski and Ryusuke Hamaguchi among others, signaling a strong return to auteur-driven programming.  Frémaux described the current direction of cinema as “audience-friendly auteur films.” The reduced American studio participation has sparked wider industry conversations around whether Hollywood is becoming increasingly risk-averse when it comes to festival exposure.

Film Market Remains Strong

Even without the traditional wave of blockbuster premieres, the Cannes market remains highly active. Among the most discussed sales titles is “White Elephant,” starring Nick Jonas and Kathryn Newton. “Last Dance,” starring Rachel Zegler and Adrien Brody. Gerard Butler's action project “Sniper World Cup.” “The Splendid Thing” starring Matthew Modine, Liam Neeson and John Cleese.  “Maitreya” featuring Pamela Anderson and Debbie Harry in a comedy feature package. 

Cinema’s Future

Behind many Cannes’ conversations this year, lies a broader anxiety surrounding the future of cinema. Frémaux acknowledged those concerns, pointing toward theatrical instability, changing viewer behavior, piracy, artificial intelligence and the fragmentation of audience attention as major industry challenges. “Our mission is very simple; to define what cinema will be in 2026,” Frémaux said in an interview published through the festival.  This year, with fewer franchises, fewer studio launches and greater emphasis on filmmakers themselves, Cannes feels more introspective than it has in years.