2026 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival is set to begin with the glamourous star-studded event will run from May 12-23 on the French riviera. This international celebration of cinema will be the first opportunity to see some of the exciting new works that will reach screens throughout the rest of the year and beyond. The poster for this year's fest features the image of Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon as "Thelma & Louise" in Ridley Scott's 1991 road-trip drama that made it's world premiere at Cannes going on to become a critical and commercial success.

The festival opens with the world premiere of "La Vénus électrique (the Electric Kiss)" from Pierre Salvadori which will be screened Out of Competition. The film stars Pio Marmaï as Antoine Balestro, a painter in 1920's Paris who has been unable to work since the death of his wife, Irène (Vimala Pons), much to the frustration of his gallery owner, Armand (Gilles Lellouche) who goes through some drastic measures to try and get him in front of an easel.



Korean writer/director Park Chan-Wook will be this year's jury president and will be joined by American actress, Demi Moore; Swedish actor, Stellan Skarsgård; Irish actress, Ruth Negga; Ivorian-French actor, Isaach De Bankolé; Chinese writer/director Chloé Zhao; Chilean writer/director Diego Céspedes; Belgian writer/director, Laura Wandel and Britsh screenwriter Paul Laverty to select the winners of the top prizes.

There have been twenty-two films selected for Competition that will feature an impressive collection of films by a wide range of international filmmakers. Some of the movies will include new works by acclaimed directors, Andrey Zvyagintsev ("Минотавр (Minotaur)"), Pawel Pawlikowski ("Fatherland"), Lazlo Nemes ("Moulin"), Cristian Mungiu ("Fjiord"), Hirokazu Kore-eda ("箱の中の羊 (Sheep in the Box)"), Lukas Dhont ("Coward"), Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi ("La Bola Negra (The Black Ball)"), Marie Kreutzer ("Gentle Monster"), Asghar Farhadi ("Histoires Parallèles (Parallel Stories)") and Pedro Almodóvar ("Amarga Navidad (Bitter Christmas)"). This year will be very slight in regards to an American film presence at Cannes with only Ira Sachs' "The Man I Love", a musical fantasia set during the AIDS crisis and the recent addition of James Gray's "Paper Tiger", a crime-drama featuring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, as the only movies from the US selected for competition.





In the Un Certain Regard section, which presents a lineup which recognizes emerging talent and innovative cinema, will feature the latest film from Jane Schoenbrun with "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" which will be the opening film; American actor/comedian, Jordan Firstman's directorial debut, "Club Kid"; "A Girl’s Story" the debut feature directed by French actress, Judith Godrèche and Greek director Konstantina Kotzamani’s "Titanic Ocean" about a special school in Japan that trains teenage girls into being professional mermaids.



Some intriguing films that will be shown out of competition includes the return of the Danish filmmaker, Nicolas Winding Refn with his horror-thriller, "Her Private Hell", his first feature film in ten years. The actor, Andy Garcia will premiere his second film as a director with "Diamond", a crime-drama that stars Garcia, Vicky Krieps, Brendan Fraser, Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman. Steven Soderbergh will screen his documentary, "John Lennon: The Last Interview", the controversial film that will combine AI visual elements with the audio of the former Beatle's final interview with Rolling Stone magazine and Ron Howard will debut his documentary "Avedon" about the life and career of the famed photographer, Richard Avedon.

And Peter Jackson, the New Zealand filmmaker best known for his work on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will be honored this year with an honorary Palme d’Or. The Academy Award winning director will also participate in the fest's Talks program along with fellow Oscar-winners, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton for separate onstage conversations.

COMING SOON

The writer, Colleen Hoover has enjoyed some great success with having her best-selling novels transformed into motion pictures. The first, "It Ends with Us", which starred Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, became a huge commercial success in 2023, grossing over three hundred and fifty million dollars worldwide. Her other books, "Regretting You" and "Reminders of Him" were also made into films and while neither managed to reach the same massive box-office heights, both were still able to attract a sizable audience.

Now Hoover's latest book-to-screen adaptation is "Verity" with this drama driven with some major star power. Bestselling author, Verity Crawford (played by Oscar-winner, Anne Hathaway) has become incapacitated and her husband (Josh Hartnett) has hired Lowen, (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer, to help complete his wife's popular book series. While living in the Crawford's home to work, Lowen discovers a hidden manuscript that contains some disturbing information about the author.

Based on the teaser trailer, "Verity", directed by Michael Showalter, appears to be filled with suspense and psychological tension, diving into shifting boundaries between truth and fiction. And this will be the fifth movie featuring the very busy Hathaway released this year following the indie drama, "Mother Mary", the long-awaited sequel, "The Devil Wears Prada 2", Christopher Nolan's historical epic, "The Odyssey" and the sci-fi thriller, "The End of Oak Street".

"Verity" is due in US theaters on October 2, 2026

KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI: AN AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE RETROSPECTIVE

The esteemed Polish filmmaker, Krzysztof Kieślowski will be honored with a tribute by the American Cinematheque with a screening of his best known works which includes his celebrated "Three Colours" trilogy. The retrospective will begin on May 3rd and running through July 12th with screenings held at the Aero Theatre, Los Feliz 3 and Egyptian Theatre.

Kieślowski, who passed away in 1996 at the age fifty-four during open-heart surgery following a heart attack, had been awarded numerous prizes throughout his career that included a 1988 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize, the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion in 1993, the Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear as well as receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay in 1995.

Born in Warsaw, Kieślowski had no real career goals, briefly attending firefighters' training school and then wanted to become a theatre director but lacked the proper education and settled on cinema. He applied to the Łódź Film School and was rejected three times before finally being accepted. After making several short films, Kieślowski's first major project was a documentary and his first film for television, "Workers '71: Nothing About Us Without Us" in 1972 which focused on workers discussing the reasons for the mass strikes of 1970. Frustrated by the censorship of his film by the government when it aired, Kieślowski decided to focus largely on fiction which would allow him more artistic freedom and control over his work.

His first feature film was "Personnel", a 1975 television drama about a young man who finds work as a tailor at an opera and becomes disillusioned by the harsh realities of stage productions, that would win numerous awards at national festivals including the Grand Prize at the Mannheim International Film festival. Kieślowski's work during his early period were shot in a documentary style with many nonprofessional actors which includes "Blizna (The Scar)", "Przypadek (Blind Chance)" and No End "Bez końca (No End)". This lead to the 1988 television movie, "Dekalog" which featured a series of ten hour-long episodes set in a Warsaw tower block, each loosely based on one of the Ten Commandments. The program helped Kieślowski attract foreign financing for his next films, mainly from France, which allowed him to have a bigger budget and expand his vision to create his work.

The first was "The Double Life of Veronique" in 1990 which starred Irène Jacob as two women, one Polish and the other French that do not know each other, who share a deep, emotional bond that transcends language and geography. This film became internationally acclaimed, winning the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Best Actress award for Jacob.

His next project was the ambitious feature film trilogy, "Three Colours (Blue, White, Red)", which explores the virtues symbolized by the French flag. "Blue" (which symbolizes liberty) starred Juliette Binoche as a woman whose husband and daughter are killed in a car accident and then tries to isolate herself from life. "White", about equality, is a psychological comedy involving a Polish man (Zbigniew Zamachowski) living in Paris that suffers several humiliating circumstances after being left by his French wife (Julie Delpy). And Irène Jacob starred in "Red" (which represents fraternity) with her playing a model whose life dramatically collides with a bitter retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant). Despite the critical acclaim for these films, Kieślowski announced he was retiring in 1994 following the premiere of "Red" at the Cannes Film Festival. He had become physically and emotionally exhausted from the process of filmmaking as well as claiming to really never enjoyed making movies.

Whether this was true or not, Kieślowski revealed himself to be a true cinematic visionary, leaving behind an indelible collection of films ranging from the social realist examinations of life under communism to the universal complexities of the human condition.

Please click below for additional information and to purchase tickets:

Krzysztof Kieślowski: An American Cinematheque Retrospective

YOU, ME & TUSCANY (2026)

Written by Ryan Engle



Directed by Kat Corio



Where & When: AMC The Grove 14, Los Angeles, CA. April 16, 2026 4:15 PM



"You, Me & Tuscany" is the latest rom-com that is attempting to revive this beloved genre back on the big screen. And while this film, nimbly directed by Kat Coiro, is filled with glowing charm and sweet romance that's set in an incredibly beautiful location, the end results still feels too uninspired and formulaic. Our leads, Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page are certainly charismatic and have a lovely chemistry together which certainly helps distract from the comedy's deficiencies in style and substance.

After Anna (Bailey) has been fired from her job house-sitting in a NYC high-rise apartment due to her being caught wearing the wealthy owner's clothing, she essentially becomes homeless. She did have a dream of becoming a professional chef but her mother's illness and eventual death would derail her plans, leaving her emotionally adrift and unable to continue her passion. Anna contacts her friend, Claire (Aziza Scott), who works in a ritzy hotel, to see if she can crash with her for a while. While waiting for her to get off her shift, Anna goes to the bar where she meets Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), a handsome and charming Italian. Through an evening with plenty of drinks and conversation, Anna and Matteo make a connection with him sharing about his estranged relationship with his family and his empty villa back in Tuscany. They end up in his hotel room but he passes out from jet lag before anything romantic can happen.

The next morning, after Matteo apologizes for falling asleep and takes off on his business trip, Anna impulsively decides to go to Italy. But once she arrives, with no real plan or hotel reservations, Anna finds she has no place to stay in Tuscany due to a yearly festival. With the help of a quirky cab driver (Marco Calvani), Anna ends up breaking into Matteo's villa for shelter. But she's soon discovered by Matteo's family that includes his mother (Isabella Ferrari), father (Paolo Sassanelli), nonna (Stefania Casini) and cousin, Michael (Page). Anna avoids getting arrested after they assume she's Matteo's fiancé due to her wearing an engagement ring she found in a drawer. And the situation, which she continues to delay in correcting, becomes even more complicated when she starts to develop an attraction to Michael.

Diane Lane spontaneously buys a villa in Tuscany hoping it will change her life in "Under The Tuscan Sun" while Sandra Bullock is assumed to be the fiancé of an injured man she saved due to a case of mistaken identity in "While You Were Sleeping". Both of these romantic-comedies were able to transform their breezy concepts and create substantial movies with memorable characters that have managed to endure. "You, Me & Tuscany" is never able to muster the same energy. While it is wonderful that we have a beautiful, African-American woman as our protagonist, it's unfortunately just not enough. This movie, with a lackluster screenplay by Ryan Engle, remains slight, narratively lazy and never makes any real effort to move beyond formula. 

With her appearance in the live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid", Bailey proved she has a great screen presence. Yet much more is required of her in this movie. The sweet-faced Bailey is able to keep us on her side despite all of the lies and deception that Anna commits throughout this story but her character comes across far too innocent and angelic, considering her many dishonest actions, to be convincing. Page doesn't have much to do here beyond being alluring and looking very good without his shirt on.

"You, Me & Tuscany" doesn't aspire to be much more than a Lifetime television movie with a bigger budget. What we end up with tends to work far better as an enticing travelogue of Tuscany than as an engaging rom-com. And that's okay. This beautifully rendered film (with cinematography by Danny Ruhlmann) is a pleasant enough distraction that entertains with a few laughs, complicated romance, some delicious-looking meals and an absolutely gorgeous location.

COMING SOON

"Practical Magic" was a romantic fantasy film (released in 1998 and based on the popular novel by Alice Hoffman) about two sisters who are descendants of a long line of witches. After their parents' tragic death from a family curse, the young girls are raised by their aunts (Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest) and taught the uses of practical magic. And it comes in handy years later when the adult sisters (played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) must unite to use their powers to destroy an evil spirit.

The movie was only a modest success and largely critically panned when it was initially released. Yet over time, thanks to it's constant appearance on cable stations, the film's style aesthetic and themes of female empowerment, "Practical Magic" would develop a rabid cult following with millennial and Gen Z women. 

Now twenty-seven years later, a sequel is on the horizon. "Practical Magic 2" reunites Kidman and Bullock, who are now both bigger stars and Oscar-winners, to play the sisters. The teaser trailer for the movie has just been released and it looks like this encore could provide some enchanting delights.

Based on the sequel "The Book of Magic" that Hoffman wrote in 2021 and directed by Susanne Bier, this story is set twenty-five years after the events of the first film with Kylie (Joey King), the daughter of Sally (Bullock), discovers the family's hidden secrets and develops her own magical abilities. With Gillian (Kidman) and the aunts (Channing and Wiest also return), they all come together to try and finally break the curse that has haunted their lineage for centuries.

"Practical Magic 2" will be in US theaters on September 11, 2026

THEY WILL KILL YOU (2026)

Written by Kirill Sokolov and Alex Litvak



Directed by Kirill Sokolov



Where & When: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA.  March 29, 2026  5:10 PM



Zazie Beetz first attracted attention for her performance as Van in Donald Glover's Afro-absurdist comedy series, "Atlanta" for four seasons. Since then, the actress has made several notable appearances in films that includes "Deadpool 2", "Bullet Train", lending her voice to the animated film, "The Bad Guys" and the sequel and featured in the two "Joker" movies. These have all been largely supporting roles but with the vigorous action-comedy thriller, "They Will Kill You", Beetz is finally front and center, carrying the film with remarkable style and an imposing lethal presence. The Russian filmmaker, Kirill Sokolov makes his English-language debut with his third feature film, perfectly delivering a hilariously deranged, brutally violent, blood soaked thrill ride.

Asia (Beetz) and her younger sister, Maria (Orefile Moloi) are on the run, trying to escape from their abusive father (Darron Meyer). When he has them surrounded by his gang of thugs, Asia pulls out a gun, shoots her father and takes off running, leaving her sister behind.

Ten years later, Asia is showing up for a job as a maid for the Virgil, an exclusive high-rise building in New York City. Going by an alias, she's greeted by the building's manager, Lilith (Patricia Arquette), a stern Irish woman who explains the strict rules of this complex that caters to the very wealthy. After settling in for the evening, Asia is awakened by a horde of masked intruders that have broken into her room and try to take her. But she is no easy target, having arrived heavily armed and more than willing to fight back. Asia winds up killing all of them which included some of the guests (Heather Graham, Tom Felton) she had met earlier and informs Lilith that she's there to rescue her sister (now played by Myha'la) who works as a maid at the Virgil. Then all of the attackers heal themselves and come back to life, forcing Asia to go on the run until she can figure out what's going on.

There is the bombastic visual and non-linear narrative inspiration in "They Will Kill You" that is clearly drawn from Quentin Tarantino, particularly the writer/director's grindhouse opus, "Kill Bill". Yet Sokolov, who also cites the works of Sergio Leone, Park Chan-wook and Martin Scorsese as influences, reveals his own singular approach to this film. His first feature, "Why Don't You Just Die!" from 2018 is distinctly Russian in spirit with dry, dark humor while incorporating Western-styled action thrills that was made to appeal to a wider international audience. With "They Will Kill You", Sokolov is able to really let loose, briskly and stylishly, with some creatively gruesome, battle scenes and wildly elaborate chase sequences throughout many of the nooks and crannies of this archaic building.

Asia soon discovers that she's fighting against the supernatural through Ray (Paterson Joseph), the building's Black maintenance man (and also happens to be Lilith's husband) who explains to her that the residents of the Virgil worship Satan and are given eternal life as long as they regularly offer him human sacrifices. And that's where Asia comes in although she had traded places with the woman who was actually hired in order to locate Maria. After the sisters find each other, their reunion is less warm and forgiving but more filled with aggression and animosity.

While the film hits all of the familiar beats expected in a bloody action-thriller, what makes "They Will Kill You" really stand out is having an African-American woman as our protagonist. Much like what "Sinners" accomplished by deftly incorporating traumatic African-American historical elements into the long established vampire lore, this film offers a rarely seen focus on a fierce and determined Black female combatant (who learned to fight during her time in prison) able to stand her ground against those trying to stop her from her mission of locating her estranged sister. Race relations does not play as large of a part in this film and it is far more subtle: from the racial hierarchy between the residents and the staff to Lilith's sentimental motivation behind her continuing to work for the Virgil.

But Sokolov has no real interest in offering a film that's a game changer or tries to elevate the genre. "They Will Kill You" keeps it simple and fun, wisely maintaining an engaging, oddball atmosphere that is ferociously intense, vividly fast-paced and visually explosive.

THE BRIDE! (2026)

Written & Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal



Where & When: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA. March 9, 2026 4:00 PM

For her second feature film as a writer and director, Maggie Gyllenhaal, best known for her acting performances, has taken on a classic horror character and has attempted to capture a more modern and highbrow element to this story originally written by Mary Shelley back in 1818. Yet "The Bride!", which involves Frankenstein's monster in search of a female companion, offers us a punk rock energized reimagining of the 1935 Hollywood movie, "Bride of Frankenstein" that ends up being chaotically structured and narratively disjointed.

The film begins when we meet the spirit of the long dead writer Shelley (played by Jessie Buckley) who has another story she wants to tell regarding her creation. She decides to take possession of a young woman in 1936 Chicago named Ida (also Buckley) who she has spill the secrets of a crime boss, Lupino (Zlatko Burić) in the middle of a very public nightclub. A couple of Lupino's associates (John Magaro, Matthew Maher), who know Ida personally, take her out of the ballroom to try and talk some sense into her. But Shelley has a firm grasp upon her which causes an accident where Ida falls to her death down a flight of stairs.

At the same time, Frankenstein's monster (Christian Bale), who now goes by the name "Frank", has arrived in Chicago to seek the help of Dr. Cornelia Euphronius (Annette Bening). The doctor has been experimenting with reanimating the dead and a very lonely Frank would desperately like her to create a female version of himself. Hesitant to get involved, Dr. Euphronius relents and they go out to find the perfect specimen. After digging up Ida's body, she is brought back to "life" with no memory of her past and a black stain across her face from the toxic chemicals used to reanimate her. Frank, deciding this would be easier for all involved, tells her that she's his bride.

After catching a movie starring Frank's favorite song-and-dance man, Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal), the undead couple are harassed by a gang of hoodlums. In an act of self-defense, Frank kills some of these men and they soon become lovers on the run, heading to New York City (of all places) to hide.

Buckley, who recently won the Best Actress Oscar for her devastating turn in "Hamnet", does the best she can with her dual roles of author and monster. Without being given much of a backstory for Ida (or of Shelley for matter), we can only gather that she was an impoverished, marginalized person, just trying to get through each day, who continued to be subjugated even in her rebirth. But Ida does manage to find her own voice and with her halo of a bleach blonde bob and inventive face smudge, Buckley is certainly visually stunning. The rest of the supporting cast is distinguished which includes Peter Sarsgaard and Penélope Cruz as police detectives trying to track down the couple and Jeannie Berlin as Dr. Euphronius' maid yet they all struggle with their underwritten roles.

There is no question that "The Bride!" is impressive to look at with a beautiful, period perfect production designed by Karen Murphy, exquisite costumes by three time Oscar-winning veteran, Sandy Powell, eerie makeup designed by Nadia Stacey and expertly filmed by Lawrence Sher. But this is all wasted on a film that is tonally all over the place and Gyllenhaal's ponderous screenplay doesn't help matters beginning with the clunky framing device of the ghost of Shelley narrating this story and inexplicably provoking the death of an innocent young woman.

There are a few interesting ideas at play in "The Bride!" but it feels overloaded, with all of the details not really sorted out and fine-tuned before the cameras began to roll. It's unclear exactly what the outcome of this film was even supposed to be: there is some graphic violence and gore to be found but does not offer any of the ghastly frights we have come to expect from our standard horror film. We have a frenzied song-and-dance musical number involving the monster couple that unfortunately comes across more like a moment from Mel Brooks' hilarious comedy, "Young Frankenstein" which isn't helped by the use of the song "Putting on the Ritz". And there is the considered feminist outrage and organized social protest against the patriarchy in this story. Yet it seems oddly out of place considering the era this movie is set in.

"The Bride!" ends up being a misguided attempt of trying to use the horror genre to artfully express our current fears and anxieties involving several social issues. I think Gyllenhaal's provocative movie might have worked better if it was scaled back and more intimately told. Instead, we have a quirky, indie film trapped in the body of a major Hollywood production with an impractical, almost one hundred million dollar price tag.