Cannes 2026 – A Very Different Perspective
Updated: 2 days ago
By Julie Sisk | June 4, 2026
After 37 years as Founder and Director of The American Pavilion at Cannes, returning to the festival in a completely different role seemed daunting. Unimaginable. Frightening. Weird. Discombobulating. Fun and liberating.
It was all of the above.
Returning under the banner of my wholly new venture, Take2Film — after such a singular focus for so many years, attending Cannes in another way was a gift.
It was a privilege to host several first-time Cannes attendees this year, including a group of bright students from The Buckley School in Los Angeles. We had a fantastic time introducing everyone to Cannes and all its wonderful craziness!
After years cloistered in the tented, beachside AmPav, I experienced a whole new Cannes. I went to parties! Lots of parties. We also hosted Salon 16 — invite-only afternoon gatherings bringing together food, wine, and thoughtful cinema discussions. I went to luncheons and amazing French dinners. I walked along the Croisette, saw old friends, drank some rosé and prosecco and thoroughly enjoyed the convivial ambience of Cannes!
On top of it all — I went to films, films, films, and more films! We all went to lots of films and most importantly, we all talked about the films. There was so much talking about film. I'd almost forgotten that this is what I'd loved most about film festivals — seeing films and then spending the rest of the time endlessly talking about them.
I'm still thinking about them and talking about them. And now I'm writing about them — and the festival ended a week ago!
The films this year were bleak. The subject matter — political upheaval, authoritarianism, corruption, social injustice, mental health, war and sexual identity — all gave a certain heaviness to the proceedings, but simultaneously created huge opportunities for thought-provoking discussions and stimulating debate.
Thanks to the political environment at home these days, I yearn for escapism and joy — but that was not what Cannes had in store for me. If the festival selection is a reflection of our world today, and I'm guessing it is, I'm in equal parts terrified and inspired. Frightened that things seem so hopeless, yet hopeful that things can change. Change happens when we focus and see things clearly, and these thought-provoking films help us do just that.
Sitting in the film MOULIN about Jean Moulin the resistance fighter, I couldn't help but think about the people suffering untold indignities in Cecot or Delaney Hall. Sitting on the French Riviera enjoying the film festival, are we any different from the isolationists in WWII? Can we stand up and fight like Jean Moulin? I'm not sure, but it is good to be talking about it.
The two bright spots in the Festival for me were La Vénus Électrique (The Electric Kiss) — a touching and sweet romantic comedy about an alcoholic painter who lost his wife and tried to connect with her via some suspect seances — and Maverick, The Epic Adventures of David Lean, a documentary about Lean's life, a personal life quite the contrast to his cinemascope on-screen adventures.
The big winners, Fjord (Palme d'Or winner), a treatise on what constitutes child abuse and what role society plays in protecting children from their parents, and Minotaur, in which a respected businessman falls apart when he discovers his wife's infidelity, were both cold, almost clinical examinations of political and societal inhumanity. Rounding it out was La Bola Negra, in which 3 stories intertwine to paint a picture of ongoing trauma for gay men in Spain, spanning more than eighty years.
As is always the case with a festival, there were highs and lows in terms of the selection. There were some outstanding achievements in filmmaking and some films that were inexplicably included. Similarly, for me personally, there were highs and lows. Transitioning from a long chapter to a new venture naturally brings its own highs and lows — one thing is certain, it gave me a fresh perspective returning from this festival I’ve known for decades, making new friends and introducing first timers to all that Cannes has to offer.
Most of all I loved seeing the world from a new perspective.
And that is what film festivals are all about for me.
Here's to new chapters, new perspectives, and the films that make us think long after the credits roll.
À bientôt,
– Julie
