Cannes 2026: Na Hong-jin Still Editing, Almodóvar Surprise, Refn Status Unclear, Moretti Not Yet Ready

So, we’re four days away from Cannes unveiling the lineup for its 79th edition, and plenty of rumors are still coming down the pipeline.

Firstly, I can’t think of any other year, at least in the last fifteen or so, that has been this hard to predict — with Serra, Ostlund, Coen, Malick, Dhont, and Leigh seemingly out of the running, the room for surprises is more apparent than ever.

We have a few more potential no-shows to add. Things aren’t looking good for Cannes regular Nanni Moretti’s “It Will Happen Tonight,” which at the moment has yet to be submitted, to the point where intel suggests it might skip the festival entirely and instead opt for a 2027 bow.

Meanwhile, despite the March 23 deadline having long passed, a few filmmakers have been granted an extension to submit, and that includes Na Hong-jin, whose chaotic editing with “Hope” might finally be wrapping up soon, and Kirill Serebrennikov, aiming to once again be at Cannes, this time with his French-produced “After.” These titles might be late additions.

There’s also word that Pedro Almodóvar has — surprisingly — requested that his “Bitter Christmas” be played out of competition, instead of competing for the Palme d’Or.

Quite honestly, this uncertainty as to what will actually crack this year’s competition is exciting. There are only a few guarantees, and usually by this time, during most years, 85% of the competition line-up is more or less known. This year? The only locks seem to be Asghar Farhadi, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Cristian Mungiu, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Paweł Pawlikowski, James Gray, Marie Kreutzer, and Hirokazu Kore-eda. That’s around 40% of the competition.

Cannes boss Thierry Frémaux wouldn’t possibly put Nicolas Winding Refn’s first film in ten years — “Her Private Hell” — out of competition, or could he? That’s what Le Parisien is reporting in their Cannes spitball. It would certainly be odd given that Refn’s last three films — “Drive,” “Only God Forgives,” and “The Neon Demon” — all vied for the Palme d’Or.

In a nutshell, the current lack of predictability in this unusual year for Cannes could lead to buzzy newcomers entering competition for the first time, and they include Kantemir Balagov, Laïla Marrakchi, Valeska Grisebach, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Léa Mysius, Sandra Wollner, Clio Barnard, Andrew Haigh, Radu Jude, July Jung, and hey, maybe even Jane Schoenbrun.