Directors’ Fortnight unveiled

Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight has set its 2026 lineup, with Kantemir Balagov’s “Butterfly Jam” opening the 58th edition on May 13. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) The parallel Cannes section will run from May 13 to 23 with 19 feature films and nine shorts from 19 countries across five continents, according to the organizers. The selection also includes six debut features, three documentary features and three animated features. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) “Butterfly Jam” is Balagov’s first English-language feature after “Beanpole,” and Deadline reported that the New Jersey-set film stars Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough. The story follows a teenager in a Circassian immigrant community whose wrestling ambitions are upended by one of his father’s schemes. (deadline.com) Directors’ Fortnight is the independent sidebar that runs alongside the main Cannes Film Festival, giving it room to mix established auteurs with first-time filmmakers in the same program. This year’s feature slate includes films by Radu Jude, Clio Barnard, Lisandro Alonso, Quentin Dupieux, July Jung, Reed Van Dyk and the Esiri brothers. (indiewire.com) (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) The official selection page says countries with little or no international exposure in the lineup include Nigeria, Sudan, Guatemala, Venezuela and Cyprus. That geographic spread arrives as Cannes’ sidebars continue to serve as a landing place for films that were not announced in the festival’s main competition. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr) (indiewire.com) Several entries arrive with recognizable casts. Deadline reported that Reed Van Dyk’s “Atonement” stars Kenneth Branagh, Hiam Abbass and Boyd Holbrook, while Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri’s “Clarissa” stars Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo and Ayo Edebiri. (deadline.com) Barnard returns to Directors’ Fortnight with “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning,” adapted from Keiran Goddard’s novel and led by Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Jay Lycurgo, Daryl McCormack and Lola Petticrew, Deadline reported. Variety said Barnard is the only British filmmaker in this year’s Cannes lineup. (deadline.com) (variety.com) Dupieux will also have two Cannes titles this year. Variety reported that his animated “Le Vertige” closes Directors’ Fortnight, while his live-action “Full Phil” is set for the festival’s Midnight Screenings section. (variety.com) The full Fortnight feature list ranges from Balagov’s opener to Alain Cavalier’s documentary “Thanks for Coming” and William Greaves and David Greaves’ documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem.” The section now moves from announcement to the Croisette, where screenings begin on May 13. (quinzaine-cineastes.fr)