Directors’ Fortnight reveals lineup

Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight has set its 2026 lineup, with Kantemir Balagov’s “Butterfly Jam” opening the section on May 13. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) The 58th edition will run from May 13 to May 23 alongside the Cannes Film Festival, and organizers said the selection includes 19 feature films and 9 short films. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) Directors’ Fortnight is a parallel Cannes section run by France’s Société des Réalisatrices et Réalisateurs de Films, not the main festival competition, and artistic director Julien Rejl unveiled the lineup in Paris on April 14. (screendaily.com) This year’s opening film gives the section one of its most recognizable packages: Balagov’s first English-language feature stars Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough, with Harry Melling and Monica Bellucci also in the cast. (variety.com) The official selection page said the 2026 program brings together films from 19 countries across five continents, including titles from countries with limited international exposure such as Nigeria, Sudan, Guatemala, Venezuela and Cyprus. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) That geographic spread fits the role Directors’ Fortnight has played at Cannes since 1969: a filmmaker-led sidebar built to showcase discovery, formal risk and directors working outside the festival’s main competition lanes. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) The 2026 slate also includes new work from Radu Jude, Clio Barnard, Lisandro Alonso and Quentin Dupieux, mixing established festival names with first features and documentaries. (deadline.com) Screen Daily reported that all but one of the 19 features are world premieres, with “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” arriving after its Sundance debut, and said three documentaries made the final selection. (screendaily.com) The Cannes Film Festival itself runs from May 12 to May 23, so the Fortnight announcement fills in one of the last major pieces of the 2026 Cannes map before screenings begin on the Croisette next month. (festival-cannes.com)