14/04/2026

„Fatherland” will compete for the Palme d’Or

Paweł Pawlikowski, long established as a leading voice in European auteur cinema, returns to Cannes in what is already shaping up to be a particularly strong edition of the festival. His „Fatherland” will compete for the Palme d’Or in a lineup widely described by observers as the most impressive on the Croisette in years.

Alongside the Polish director, new films will be presented by Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Cristian Mungiu and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, among others. The festival will take place from May 12 to May 23, 2026.

„Fatherland” centers on the relationship between Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika, yet it is neither a conventional biopic nor an academic reconstruction of the Nobel laureate’s life. Its dramatic core lies in a journey, both literal and historical. The story unfolds at the height of the Cold War, as Mann returns to Germany for the first time since the war and, together with Erika, sets out in a black Buick from the American-controlled zone in Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar.

This journey through a country in ruins opens into a broader reflection on exile, guilt, memory, familial loyalty and the fragile status of moral authority in postwar Europe. Industry press has noted that Pawlikowski once again engages with his defining themes: identity, love, family, and the historical fractures that run through private lives. The film stars Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler, August Diehl, Anna Madeley, Joanna Kulig and Devid Striesow.

For Pawlikowski, Cannes remains one of the key reference points of his career. The festival’s official profile recalls that he first gained international recognition with his documentaries, followed by the features „Last Resort” and „My Summer of Love”, before „Ida” and „Cold War” secured his global standing. At Cannes, Cold War premiered in the Main Competition in 2018 and earned him the Best Director award. The following year, Pawlikowski returned to the festival as a member of the main competition jury.

Cannes is widely regarded as the most prestigious gathering in the world of cinema and at the same time the most highly publicized cultural event globally; from the outset it was conceived as a festival of free cinema, and in the postwar period it evolved into a place where films are not only screened but where their status is established.

In recent years, the Polish presence at the festival has become increasingly visible. This year, alongside Pawlikowski’s Fatherland in the Main Competition, Asghar Farhadi’s „Parallel Tales”, produced by Maciej Musiał, has also been selected. In 2024, Magnus von Horn’s „The Girl with a Needle” screened in competition in 2022, Jerzy Skolimowski’s „EO” received the Jury Prize ex aequo, while Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s „The Silent Twins” was presented in Cannes Première. Among the most significant Polish achievements in Cannes history are the Palme d’Or for Andrzej Wajda’s „Man of Iron in 1981”, the Palme d’Or for Roman Polanski’s „The Pianist” in 2002, and Pawlikowski’s Best Director award for „Cold War” in 2018.

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 12 to May 23, 2026.

Official website: Festival de Cannes https://www.festival-cannes.com/

Opening film (Out of Competition)

LA VÉNUS ÉLECTRIQUE, dir. Pierre Salvadori

Main Competition 2026:

AMARGA NAVIDAD, dir. Pedro Almodóvar

PARALLEL TALES, dir. Asghar Farhadi

A WOMAN’S LIFE, dir. Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet

LA BOLA NEGRA, dir. Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi

COWARD, dir. Lukas Dhont

DAS GETRÄUMTE ABENTEUER, dir. Valeska Grisebach

ALL OF A SUDDEN, dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi

THE UNKNOWN, dir. Arthur Harari

ANOTHER DAY, dir. Jeanne Herry

SHEEP IN THE BOX, dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda

HOPE, dir. Na Hong-jin

NAGI NOTES, dir. Koji Fukada

GENTLE MONSTER, dir. Marie Kreutzer

NOTRE SALUT, dir. Emmanuel Marre

FJORD, dir. Cristian Mungiu

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, dir. Léa Mysius

MOULIN, dir. László Nemes

FATHERLAND, dir. Paweł Pawlikowski

THE MAN I LOVE, dir. Ira Sachs

EL SER QUERIDO (THE BELOVED), dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen

MINOTAUR, dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev