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And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle
And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle

And… Cut! Cannes 2026 Was Lights, Camera, Pure Spectacle

Laaheerie P
May 24, 2026

The curtain has fallen on one of cinema's grandest stages. The 79th Cannes Film Festival concluded on Saturday, May 23, wrapping up eleven days of world-class films, couture fashion, and fierce competition on the sun-soaked French Riviera. This year's edition leaned heavily international, with European and Asian cinema taking centre stage while Hollywood largely sat on the sidelines.

The Festival at a Glance

Running from May 12 to 23 at the iconic Palais des Festivals , the 79th edition received over 2,500 feature film submissions before narrowing its main competition down to 22 films . South Korean master filmmaker Park Chan-wook presided over the main jury, joined by a stellar panel including Demi Moore , Chloé Zhao , Ruth Negga , Stellan Skarsgård , and others. French actress Eye Haïdara helmed both the opening and closing ceremonies , while the official poster paid tribute to Thelma & Louise , featuring its lead actresses Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon .

Opening & Closing

The festival opened with Pierre Salvadori 's charming French period-comedy The Electric Kiss . Honorary Palmes d'Or were presented to Peter Jackson , who attended in person, and Barbra Streisand , who could not make the trip due to a knee injury with Isabelle Huppert graciously stepping in to receive the award on her behalf. The closing ceremony saw Tilda Swinton hand over the Palme d'Or, with other prizes presented by Geena Davis, Zoe Saldaña , Gael García Bernal , and Xavier Dolan among others.

The Winners

Cristian Mungiu 's Fjord claimed the top prize, the Palme d'Or . Lukas Dhont 's Coward took the Grand Prix , while Andrey Zvyagintsev 's late-breaking contender Minotaur earned the Jury Prize . Paweł Pawlikowski won Best Director for Fatherland , and Ryusuke Hamaguchi took home Best Screenplay for All of a Sudden .

In the Un Certain Regard section, Sandra Wollner's Everytime claimed the top prize, with the Jury Prize going to Abinash Bikram Shah's debut Elephants in the Fog . Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset won Best Actor for Congo Boy , while three actresses shared Best Actress for Siempre Soy Tu Animal Materno .

The La Cinef student film competition drew nearly 2,750 submissions from 662 schools worldwide. NYU's Lucas Acher won First Prize for Laser-Cat , Columbia University's Nadine Misong Jin took Second for Silent Voices , and Third Prize was shared between La Fémis's Never Enough and Growing Stones , Flying Papers .

Red Carpet: Global Glamour

The Croisette dazzled as always. Jury member Demi Moore turned heads in a Jacquemus sequin gown, Ruth Negga wore custom Dior, and Chloé Zhao kept it refined in Gabriela Hearst. Joan Collins stole flashbulbs in an orchid-inspired Stéphane Rolland dress with dramatic opera gloves, while Léa Seydoux and Carla Bruni brought understated French elegance in Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli respectively.

India on the Croisette

Bollywood delivered some of the festival's most memorable fashion moments. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrived as the undisputed showstopper in a midnight-blue sculptural gown by Amit Aggarwal , a crystal-studded masterpiece that reportedly took over 1,500 hours to craft.

Alia Bhatt , returning as L'Oréal Paris Global Ambassador, charmed in a custom peach Tamara Ralph couture gown on opening night, and later wore a handpainted Indian designer ballgown celebrating the French Riviera's landscapes alongside a corseted ivory sari complete with a nath, haath-phool, and lace parasol a bold, beautiful nod to Indian heritage.

Aditi Rao Hydari turned heads in a striking neon-green Tony Ward Couture gown, while Tara Sutaria made a stunning Cannes debut in Vivienne Westwood. Jacqueline Fernandez , Mouni Roy , and Huma Qureshi also proudly flew the Indian flag on one of the world's biggest cultural stages.

Cannes 2026 proved once again that cinema, fashion, and culture are inseparable and that India is no longer just attending the festival, it is defining it.