All The Documentaries Showing at Cannes in 2026
With May comes the annual glitz-laden rush of film stars, cinephiles, media teams and film scouts to the French riviera. Amid the sparkle and glamour of Europe’s most important celebration of film, it’s no secret that documentary is a neglected genre, but this year’s Cannes film festival selection has progressed from 2025.
21 films across all competitions are in the running for this year’s Œil d’or, the award for best documentary created in 2015 by Cannes and La Scam, in partnership with l’Ina, whereas just 14 were competing last year.
Of Cannes’ 21-film strong Official feature competition, no documentaries are selected. It’s in the Special screenings and Classics sections that most are to be found, with more contemporary filmmakers breaking through in the ACID Cannes and Quinzaine des cinéastes selections.
Steven Soderbergh’s John Lennon : The last interview will be sure to grab a few headlines. Using the last known audio recording of John Lennon, made just hours before his assassination, Hollywood fiction director Steven Soderbergh resuscitates the Beatles frontman with a little help from ai.
From one pop icon to another, Cantona by David Tryhorn & Ben Nicholas will be shown among the Special screenings and The Match by Juan Cabral et Santiago Franco reconstructs the game played between Argentina and England at the 1986 Football World Cup, the culmination of more than 200 years of political tension between the two nations.
Two Iranian films feature, Rehearsals for A Revolution by Pegah Ahangarani and Into the jaws of the ogre by Mahsa Karampor, which both explore their relationships with their family to better tell the story of their country.
Finally, Once upon a time in Harlem, a film made by William Greaves’ son using footage he shot in 1972 of the pivotal meeting he instigated of members of the Harlem Renaissance, an exceptional generation of artists and intellectuals, is sure to entice any fans of the monumental documentarian.
So, here is the full list of the 21 feature-length documentaries showing at Cannes 2026 !
This year, Doc Weekly is attending the Cannes film festival is partnership with Cannes doc ! Make sure you contact us if you want to meet up - we’ll be at Doc day on the 19th of May.
John Lennon : The last interview by Steven Soderbergh
Special Screenings
“John Lennon: The Last Interview” captures an extraordinary and intimate moment in music history – the final in-depth conversation John Lennon ever gave. On December 8, 1980, Lennon and Yoko Ono sat down with a small radio crew in their New York apartment to promote the release of their album Double Fantasy. What followed was an unfiltered, wide-ranging discussion about music, politics, fatherhood, and life. Just hours later, Lennon was killed.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the documentary presents the complete interview for the first time, framed by reflections from those who were present, revealing a man at the height of his creative and personal powers, openly looking toward the future he would never see.
John Lennon : The last interview by Steven Soderbergh
Che Guevara: The Last Companions by Christophe Dimitri Réveille
Special Screenings
After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, three guerrilla fighters followed Che Guevara in his attempt to carry the uprising beyond the island. In 1967, after their final battle in Bolivia and Che’s execution, these shadow warriors embarked on an extraordinary 2,400 km journey across Bolivia, pursued by 4,000 soldiers and navigating remote terrain in a bid to stay alive.
Sixty years later, Che’s last surviving comrades recount this untold story of endurance and loyalty, in which individual destinies were shaped by the larger geopolitical currents of the Cold War. Blending rare archive footage, animation and exclusive interviews, the film brings a forgotten chapter of history into the present.
Che Guevara: The Last Companions by Christophe Dimitri Réveille
The Story of Documentary Film by Mark Cousins
Cannes Classics
Pol is 21 and lives with his grandmother. He dreams of living in Miami and generating +10k a month. He attends personal development events, follows online coaches and invests in cryptocurrencies. Pol doesn’t know when he’ll reach his goals of becoming the best version of himself. The only thing he knows is that one day, he’ll get there.
The Story of Documentary Film by Mark Cousins
Gabin by Maxence Voiseux
Quinzaine des cinéastes
In northern France, Gabin, the youngest of the Jourdel family, finds himself destined to take over his father's butcher shop. Тorn between family loyalty and a desire to break free, his dreams lie elsewhere: to train a contest cow, to become a dog breeder, and to save his mother’s farm from financial ruin. Spanning a decade, Gabin immerses us in this young boy’s world, following his journey from the age of 8 to 18.
Gabin by Maxence Voiseux
A Manifest Life by Jean-Gabriel Périot
Cannes Classics
From the Second World War to the Algerian War, from the benches of IDHEC to the guerrillas of the FAR in Guatemala, and through Castro–Guevara-era Cuba, A Manifest Life traces the extraordinary destiny of Michele Firk—a woman passionate about cinema and revolution, a free lover, completely liberated from the conventions of her time.
Une vie manifeste by Jean-Gabriel Périot
A Secret Heart by Tom Fontenille
ACID Cannes
“Over the last 4 years, Lilou left her secret life behind, becoming a 64-year-old woman who enjoys DIY, gardening, cycling and looking after her grandchildren. As I accompanied her through her transformation, I filmed a family healing its wounds and reinventing a place for everyone. This is my family, Lilou is my father.”
- Tom Fontenille
A Secret Heart by Tom Fontenille
Groundswell by Josh Tickel, Rebecca Tickell
Special Screenings
Groundswell is a decade-in-the-making documentary at the forefront of a global movement bridging climate and regenerative agriculture. Across five continents, the film encounters farmers, scientists, and Indigenous leaders reshaping humanity’s relationship to land. Narrated by Demi Moore and featuring Woody Harrelson, it reframes global agriculture not as a driver of collapse but as means to balance the Earth’s climate before it is too late.
Groundswell by Josh Tickel, Rebecca Tickell
Nostalagia For The Future by Brecht Debackere
Cannes Classics
Guided by the narration of Charlotte Rampling, Nostalgia for the Future is a descent into the labyrinthine world of Chris Marker, the “best-known author of unknown films,” who spent a lifetime concealing himself behind a veil of pseudonyms and images of cats. Moving through a constellation of personal documents and film fragments, an archivist attempts to decode the man through the material traces he left behind.
Nostalagia For The Future by Brecht Debackere
Summer Drift by Céline Carridroit et Aline Suter
ACID Cannes
It’s summer in Geneva. Johanna works on the assembly line of a luxury watch factory and she’s not going on vacation. As she considers getting rid of her old VW Beetle, she decides instead to bring it back to life and confront the world of mechanics that once rejected her.
Summer Drift by Céline Carridroit et Aline Suter
Once upon a time in Harlem by William Greaves, David Greaves
Quinzaine des cinéastes
On a summer evening in 1972, a pivotal generation of Harlem Renaissance artists and intellectuals gathered at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. For over three hours, this extraordinary group - many of whom had not seen each other in fifty years - reminisced, critiqued, argued, laughed, and drank while wrestling with their place in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.
Once upon a time in Harlem by William Greaves, David Greaves
Irish Travellers by Alexander Murphy
Semaine de la critique
Along a long-forgotten road, the O’Reillys live in a rundown trailer stranded in the middle of the fields. Pa’, Lisa, and their ten children weather the seasons in their tin castle, heirs to a way of life on borrowed time. Under threat of eviction, their tenuous balance falters, yet – steadfast in their tradition – they resist. The children laugh, the dogs bark, the trailer holds on – but for how long?
Irish Travellers is the only documentary selected by Semaine de la critique.
Irish Travellers by Alexander Murphy
Rehearsals for a revolution by Pegah Ahangarani
Special screenings
Through five portraits of relatives and mentors, five expressions of resistance, Pegah Ahangarani sketches her life story. Drawing from personal archives, home videos, street protests footage, newspapers, and recorded voices, she retraces more than 40 years of Iran’s history. From the early days of 1979, until the war that began in 2026, she pieces together intimate and collective memories, forming the portrait of a country shaped by political repression and in constant hope for a revolution.
Rehearsals for a revolution by Pegah Ahangarani
Cantona by David Tryhorn, Ben Nicholas
Special screenings
The most gifted footballer of his generation was finished. Retired in disgrace at 25, he appeared destined for permanent exile from the sport he loved.
At turns thoughtful and explosive, Cantona reveals how legendary manager Alex Ferguson channelled the brilliance of this most captivating and unpredictable of athletes. A tale of friendship and fatherhood, Cantona and Ferguson’s testimonies reveal how a man misread as hostile and unknowable was finally understood, loved, and forgiven, by the strictest disciplinarian in football.
Cantona by David Tryhorn, Ben Nicholas
Avedon by Ron Howard
Special screenings
From world leaders to pop culture icons and international supermodels, Richard Avedon’s influence is the blueprint for our image-driven world. His photographs didn’t just reflect culture, they shaped it.
Avedon traces the life and legacy of an artist who used photography to reinvent the world around him. Drawing on unprecedented access to Richard Avedon’s personal archives—never-before-seen stills, intimate behind-the-lens footage, and new interviews with his closest collaborators—the film explores how his singular eye both reflected and reshaped the visual language of the 20th century, and why even the most iconic image is only half the story.
Avedon by Ron Howard
The Match by Juan Cabral, Santiago Franco
Cannes première
The Match reconstructs the historic match Argentina vs England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, famously remembered for the the hand of God goal by Maradona. Also exploring the sporting, political, and cultural dimensions of the encounter, in the background of the recent deadly Falklands War between the two countries.
The Match is the only documentary selected in the Cannes première section.
The Match by Juan Cabral, Santiago Franco
Dernsie : The amazing life of Bruce Dern by Mike Mendez
Cannes Classics
This is the story of legendary actor Bruce Dern. With a career spanning over 65 years, Bruce tells us in his own words of his journey through Hollywood working with legends. such as Elia Kazan, Alfred Hitchcock, John Wayne, Bette Davis and many many more. We’ll track his career from tv villain in the 60’s to Interpretation Prize for Nebraska and beyond.
Dernsie : The amazing life of Bruce Dern by Mike Mendez
Thanks for Coming by Alain Cavalier
Quinzaine des cinéastes
“I blame Michel Seydoux, with whom I have worked for forty years, for being responsible for the making and the release of my next film. After pushing me—and even grabbing hold of me, being younger and stronger—he forced me to finish putting into cinematic order my final desires to film.
Having, it is said, reached a gentle serenity, may I ask him not to pass on any possible opinions about the film to me? I can already see his smile...”
- Alain Cavalier
Thanks for Coming by Alain Cavalier
Maverick : The epic adventures of David Lean by Barnaby Thompson
Cannes classics
David Lean was one of the greatest film directors of all time. He redefined what movies could be, but his singular vision and dogged determination to film the impossible gained him the reputation of being an obsessive maverick. He was a master of his art, able to create love and beauty on screen, but whose own life was often messy, rootless, and painful.
An in-depth study of the man and his films. Narrated by Cate Blanchett, Kenneth Branagh is the voice of Lean, and featuring interviews with contemporary directors including Wes Anderson, Paul Greengrass, Alfonso Cuaron, Celine Song, Brady Corbet, Francis Ford Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, Nia DaCosta and Joe Wright.
Maverick : The epic adventures of David Lean by Barnaby Thompson
La Détention de Guillaume Massart
ACID Cannes
Open a door. Handle a crisis. Write an incident report. At France’s prison officer academy, hundreds of men and women learn to become prison guards. Their words begin to mirror the institution. Their movements sharpen. What once felt uncertain becomes routine. Doubt slowly fades from their faces.
La Détention de Guillaume Massart
Vittorio de Sica – Staging Life by Francesco Zippel
Cannes classics
Vittorio De Sica – Staging Life retraces the life, work, and legacy of one of the greatest masters of world cinema, returning to the very heart of his vision: the ability to transform life into narrative and human experience into image. Through unprecedented access to the De Sica family, never-before-seen archival materials, and the voices of contemporary artists and filmmakers from around the world, the film composes an intimate and multifaceted portrait of an author who transformed the observation of reality into universal emotion.
More than a celebration, the film is a journey into the man, the artist, and the striking modernity of a gaze whose vitality continues to illuminate cinema and our way of looking at the world.
Vittorio de Sica – Staging Life by Francesco Zippel
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