The 2026 Cannes Film Festival drew to a close this past May 24th. In this video dispatch, Chaz Ebert reflects on this year’s fest and shares interviews Sonia Evans conducted at Cannes, including World Woman Foundation CEO/founder Rupa Dash, Take2Film’s Julie Sisk, media psychologist Dr. Katherine Woods, and more. Watch the video below.
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival is in the rear-view mirror, but we’re still reflecting on the great experience we had, the wonderful films we saw, and the fantastic people we met.
Personally, I always enjoy the Cannes Immersive Competition, which showcases new virtual-reality projects from around the world. This year, the top prize was awarded to the French-produced project, Katabasis.
Prior to the festival, American studio Neon had acquired a large number of competition films, slowing the pace of acquisitions early in the festival. But sales picked up later in the festival with Netflix acquiring the animated film “In Waves.” “Gentle Monster” with Lea Seydoux, and the Spanish breakout film, which shared the best director prize, “The Black Ball.”
Michael Barker of Sony Pictures Classics was busy acquiring the animated film “Iron Boy” along with “Rehearsals for a Revolution,” the Iranian film that won the “Golden Eye” prize for best documentary in the festival.
Also, “La Gradiva,” winner of the grand prize in the Critics’ Week section, was acquired by distributor 1-2 Special, who are reportedly planning a theatrical release.
More and more, I find that Cannes is about connecting with people, long-time friends and new ones.
Of course, Cannes attracts filmmakers from all over the world. We met with Nancy Paton, a Polish-Australian producer and founder of Desert Rose Films in the United Arab Emirates. Her production company strives to give underrepresented females a voice in front of and behind the camera.
