Cannes big winners, coming to a cinema near you!

From Cannes to NZ

Glitz, glamour, and the world’s most talked about movies - it all kicked off at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and now, we’re screening a slew of Cannes hits at NZIFF 2026!

This year, our programme includes more than 30 movies from the French Riviera’s most prestigious event, and the timing of NZIFF means Kiwi audiences are among the first in the world to see them. Excited? Read on for a taste of what’s to come.

We’ve got the winners

This year we’ve lined up a top trifecta, with Cannes’ first, second and third-place winners all joining the programme list.

Don’t miss Palme d'Or big winner Fjord, starring Renate Reinsve (from last year’s closing night film, Sentimental Value). The drama takes place at a picture-perfect Norwegian fishing village, where new neighbours turn sour and devastating accusations start flying.

Second place prize (aka The Grand Prix), was scooped by Minotaur, an ice cold thriller about a Russian mogul caught up in personal and political chaos, while The Dreamed Adventure, taking home third place with the Jury Prize, follows an archeologist who is pulled into the criminal underworld. 👀

More more more

Also on the Cannes hot list, La Gradiva is an absorbing coming-of age drama, set on a school trip to Italy. And don’t miss Too Many Beasts, an offbeat black comedy about a town tackling a wild boar problem in the French countryside.

We’ve also got the winner of Cannes’ prestigious Un Certain Regard section, the psychological drama Everytime, which takes viewers on an unforgettable journey through grief that one critic called a “lyrical gut punch”.

And film fans are already talking about historical drama Fatherland, which netted Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski the Award for Best Director. Fatherland is presented with the generous support of the Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of Poland and the Embassy of Germany, check out the trailer below.

Stay tuned for more announcements to come, and don’t forget your festival multipass for best value tickets.