Best Upcoming Cannes Film Festival 2026 Movies To Catch In Cinemas

Held for about two weeks annually, Cannes Film Festival is an event that brings together the film industry’s cream of the crop. While it celebrates veterans and up-and-comers, many wait each year to see who walks away with the coveted Palme d’Or prize. You may be familiar with films like Anora or Parasite, both of which followed their prestigious Palme d’Or victories with historic wins at the Oscars – so, consider this your unofficial (way too early) guide to probable Oscar contenders to watch out for. Scroll down for our picks of the best Cannes Film Festival 2026 movies to watch. 

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BEST CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2026 MOVIES

1. Hope

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Hope is perhaps one of Cannes 2026’s most anticipated films – not only because it features a star-studded mix of Korean actors and Hollywood heavyweights, but also because it marks the return of acclaimed South Korean director Na Hong-jin after ten years. Set in a South Korean village located near the DMZ, Hope tells the story of a remote town that becomes terrorised by an unidentified beast. Paranoia spreads when extraterrestrial entities appear and the local hunting party finds itself being hunted instead. 

Genre: Sci-fi Thriller
Singapore release date: TBC

2. Fjord

Director of the 2007 Palme d’Or winner, Cristian Mungiu, returns to Cannes 2026 with yet another Romanian movie. Fjord stars Oscar nominees Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a conservative Romanian-Norwegian couple that face accusations of child abuse after relocating to the wife’s liberal Norwegian hometown and befriending a neighbouring family. Don’t be fooled by the smiles on their faces – things are about to go south for this family.

Genre: Social Thriller 
Singapore release date: TBC

3. Paper Tiger

With an all-star cast featuring auteur favourites Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, Paper Tiger is one of two American films in competition for the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year. It reunites Marriage Story co-stars Johansson and Driver, with the latter playing one half of a brother duo alongside Teller. Set in ‘80s New York, the story unfolds as a gripping thriller as the brothers and their families become cornered by the Russian mafia in their pursuit of the American Dream. 

Genre: Crime Drama
Singapore release date: TBC

4. Sheep in the Box

In an era rife with contention over the use of AI, Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in the Box arrives at the right time. It tells the story of a couple who obtain an AI humanoid replica of their deceased son after struggling to cope with his passing. However, as the robot begins to act erratically alongside other AI-replicated children, the couple are forced to deal with the reality of their grief and loss of parenthood. 

Genre: Sci-fi Drama
Japan release date: May 29, 2026
Singapore release date: TBC

5. All of a Sudden

With its deeply philosophical premise and thematic depth, All of a Sudden has emerged as a top contender for this year’s Palme d’Or. Over the course of its three-hour long runtime, the film explores themes of caregiving, humanity and the intersection between life and death. A real tearjerker – it follows the director of a nursing home in the Parisian suburbs who adopts a humane care technique despite resistance from her team. Things change when she meets a terminally ill Japanese playwright who encourages her to push against the system’s limits. 

Genre: Drama 
Japan release date: June 19, 2026
Singapore release date: TBC

6. The Unknown

A slightly bizarre take on the classic body swap mystery is The Unknown – a film about a photographer who wakes up in another woman’s body. It happens after the lonely protagonist is brought to a party by his friends and becomes enthralled with a mysterious woman. After he wakes up in her body the next day, he has to figure out how to reclaim his original form, all while fighting the entity that swapped their bodies. 

Genre: Psychological Fantasy
France release date: August 26, 2026 
Singapore release date: TBC

7. Club Kid

If you’re a sucker for witty and comedic films, Jordan Firstman’s directorial debut Club Kid is one you want to keep your eyes out for. It’s set in the thick of New York City’s nightlife, and follows an underground party promoter who has to re-evaluate his hedonistic lifestyle when a son he never knew he had shows up at his doorstep. And if you’re familiar with Firstman’s acting chops in HBO’s comedy series I Love LA, you can probably expect the same satirical bits from him in this film. 

Genre: Comedy Drama
Singapore release date: TBC

8. Her Private Hell

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Given that this film generated much buzz prior to even premiering at Cannes, you can bet that art house cinephiles out there already have Her Private Hell somewhere on their Letterboxd watchlist. It stars Sophie Thatcher as the lead who is forced to confront her stepmother and persistent daddy issues, all while an American soldier tries to fight off a supernatural entity terrorising the neon-soaked city they’re in. It’s a genre-blending film that’s campy and futuristic in all the best ways. 

Genre: Sci-fi Horror-Thriller
US release date: July 24, 2026 
Singapore release date: TBC

9. Parallel Tales

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Parallel Tales follows Sylvie, an author who spies on her neighbours from across the street as she searches for inspiration for her newest novel. As she’s unable to hear the contents of their conversations, Sylvie starts creating her own fictional narrative about them. It’s a film about voyeurism and how life imitates art, blurring the lines between Sylvie’s written fantasies and reality. 

Genre: Psychological Drama 
France release date: May 14, 2026
Singapore release date: TBC

10. Coward

This upcoming war drama film set in 1916 is about a group of soldiers at the Belgian frontline who search for a way to cope and boost morale as they find themselves in the thick of the raging World War I. Despite its setting, Cowards subverts the traditional historical war genre by exploring themes of queer romance and masculinity. 

Genre: Historical Drama
Singapore release date: TBC