Dispatches from Cannes 2026
Now that the 79th Festival de Cannes has been and gone, the team at Light House have gathered thoughts on some highlights from the 2026 festival.
Alice Black - Head of Cinema
Romanian director Christian Mungiu walked away with his 2nd Palme d'Or for FJORD, the portrait of a conservative Christian family whose parenting practices come under scrutiny in a liberal Norwegian society. As the parents, Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan give surprising and committed performances against type. This film will spark debate about the secular duty of care vs personal religious liberties, cultural differences in a "tolerant" society, and the role of the media in the court of public opinion.
Paweł Pawlikowski (Cold War) is back with another elegant, stunning Black & White portrait of another family relationship - this time FATHERLAND. A sobering look at Thomas Mann's journey in 1949 through West and East Germany confronting critics on all sides, his own failings as a parent, and his political choices. A cinematic companion piece to Colm Tóibín's masterful novel The Magician, this is serious watch, but a compelling one. Sandra Hüller is, as ever, extraordinary, as the fierce Erika, Mann's longsuffering daughter left devastated by the absence of her beloved brother Klaus and her ongoing frustration at her father's apolitical stance against the regimes hosting their visit.
There was not a dry eye in the house at my screening of TANGLES, a cinematic adaptation of queer comic book artist Sarah Leavitt's autobiographical graphic novel about her own experiences of her mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease. Tender and heartbreaking, the films is also filled with dark comic touches, life lessons, and amazing pen & ink cartoon graphics. Director Leah Nelson‘s adaptation walks a tightrope of being frank, funny, and sensitive, touching on so many different aspects of adulthood - identity, family, responsibility, love. With a voice cast that includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, and exec. producer Seth Rogan, this film, we promise you will resonate with anyone who watches it.
I also loved (and would have given the Palme to) Andrey Zvyagintsev's icy cool MINATAUR, a reimagining of Charbrol's La Femme Infidèle set against the backdrop of the Ukraine war. Clio Barnard's I SEE BUILDINGS FALL LIKE LIGHTING (scripted by Enda Walsh) was a highlight and I was thrilled to see the Camera d'or for Best First Feature go to Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo's BEN'IMANA. The first film from Rwanda to be selected for Cannes official competition, this was a powerful exploration of challenges of truth and reconciliation. It was haunting, but hopeful and inspiring.
David Kelly - Programmer
I arrived in Cannes on day 5, so missed the excitement over John Travolta's beret, but did make it for the early screenings of Jane Schoenbrun's brilliant TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA. Hannah Einbinder plays a queer film director who has been tasked with resurrecting the tired and problematic Camp Miasma series and becomes spellbound by the original's final girl, played exquisitely by Gillan Anderson in full Norma Desmond mode. Sunset Boulevard is one of the many classics referenced in this hugely inventive and darkly funny follow up to Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow. It boasts Jack Haven, Sarah Sherman, and Eva Victor to name a few in its supporting cast and was met with rapture and celebration after its first few screenings. It opens here in August and I highly recommend.
Abinash Bikram Shah's ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG was a stunning experience in a packed Buñuel Theatre. Nepal's first ever feature in the Un Certain Regard section, it tells the story of the Kinnar community and in particular the matriarch (Pushpa Thing Lama), who is about to leave for the man she loves, until a member of the community who she deeply cares for goes missing. What follows is a tense and haunting hour filled with beautiful visuals and a gripping storyline. This one really lived long in the memory and was a worthy winner on the Jury Prize in that section.
Other personal highlights from this year's festival include Na Hong-jin (The Wailing) ridiculously enjoyable HOPE, NUISANCE BEAR which is not part of the Cocaine Bear franchise but rather a stunning man vs nature documentary from A24, Andrey Zvyagintsev's MINOTAUR, the title that most had as their favourite to take the Palme, it would have been a worthy winner...and Fatherland, Another Day and Coward. I could go on... So much to look forward to.
Aisling Kane - Digital Marketing
Jordan Firstman is a relative newcomer and prior to Cannes was known mostly to fans of Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA and the chronically online. However, with his directorial debut premiering on the first Friday, his film was the talk of the town across opening weekend. CLUB KID tells the story of Peter (Firstman), a washed-up party promoter, as he navigates meeting the son he never knew existed, Arlo (Reggie Absolom). The film delicately balances the hedonistic edge of the NYC club community with the softer, heartwarming story of Peter and Arlo; 2 lost souls finding a new sense of self in finding each other. Firstman proves an impressive new talent both in front of and behind the camera. Club Kid is hilarious and surprisingly sensitive, as well as being beautiful to look at.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ALL OF A SUDDEN is a patient and gentle but deeply moving film that unfolds across 3 hours and 15 minutes. Hamaguchi is no stranger to a lengthy runtime; look at 2021’s Drive My Car. Crucially, he knows how to make the most of every second of it, creating a sincerely rewarding viewing experience. The film examines what it means to care for someone, in every sense of the word. Marie-Lou (Virginie Efira) is a nursing home director in a facility for people with dementia, attempting to introduce a humane care technique to improve the life of the clients, in the face of resistance from an overworked staff. She strikes up a friendship with Mari (Tao Okamoto), a playwright who has a terminal illness. The pair discuss everything from love and morality to the failings of capitalism and find great comfort in each other’s company. When you fall into the film’s rhythm and let it take over, you won’t feel that runtime at all.
THE MATCH is a really compelling documentary revolving around the iconic 1986 World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina and England. I’m admittedly not the biggest football fan in the world but I am well aware of both of Diego Maradona’s legendary and infamous goals from this match. The documentary, smartly, intercuts moments from the match, and the obligatory talking heads from the players, with the history of these two countries both on and off the pitch - in particular the conflict in the Falklands. It’s a powerful reminder that a match, and certainly an international one, is never just a match. Beyond that, the film is also a brilliant look at one of the most incredible games in the career of one of the best to ever do it. Watching the Goal of the Century on the big screen is unparalleled and has even the least football-savvy viewer leaning forward in their seat. And, of course, the ever-contentious Hand of God (and its surprising origins) makes for great discussion afterward.
I also absolutely adored Jane Schoenbrun’s TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA,
Leah Nelson's TANGLES, and Paweł Pawlikowski’s FATHERLAND.