Cannes 2026 winners announced as festival closes with top prizes

Cannes ended its 79th edition with a closing ceremony that doubled as an early map of the season ahead, as Park Chan-wook’s jury handed out the festival’s top prizes from a 22-film competition at the Palais des Festivals and Grand Théâtre Lumière. The ceremony began at 8:15 p.m. CEST, with Eye Haïdara returning to host after opening the festival on May 12.

The awards under discussion carried the usual Cannes weight, including the Palme d’Or, Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor, but the broader significance lay in what the lineup itself signaled to buyers and awards strategists. La Bola Negra, Coward, Das Geträumte Abenteuer, also listed as The Dreamed Adventure, All of a Sudden, Fatherland and Minotaur were among the competition titles in play, a slate that reflected Cannes’ continued reach across European, Asian and Latin American arthouse cinema. The festival’s official broadcast partner in France was France 2, with international streaming through TikTok Brut, RAI, Telefónica and Proximus, underlining how far the closing night now travels beyond the Croisette.

That reach matters because Cannes remains one of the clearest launch pads for international films that can move from festival prestige to U.S. distribution and awards season visibility. Last year’s Palme d’Or went to Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, which later earned two Oscar nominations, a reminder that the festival’s top call can shape the next year’s critical conversation as much as its immediate prize race. With the 2026 competition narrowed to 22 titles and the Camera d’Or drawing 29 debut films, the festival also made room for first features, a field that often reveals the next wave of directors for arthouse buyers to chase.

The closing ceremony also carried Cannes’ customary honors. Barbra Streisand received an Honorary Palme d’Or, though injury kept her from attending in person, and Isabelle Huppert was set to present the tribute. Peter Jackson and John Travolta had already received Honorary Palmes d’Or earlier in the festival. The final night came after two weeks that also delivered prizes in Un Certain Regard, Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight, while a late controversy around Canal+ chief executive Maxime Saada and a letter criticizing Vincent Bolloré’s control of the company showed that Cannes remains as politically charged behind the scenes as it is glamorous onstage.