Festival du Film Merveilleux Heads to Cannes 2026 Marché du Film

The Festival du Film Merveilleux & Imaginaire is heading to the Cannes Film Festival 2026. Our President and Founder Bénédicte Beaugeois and Maureen Gerby will represent the festival at the Marché du Film from 12 to 20 May 2026, during the 79th Festival de Cannes.

This year, the Marché du Film celebrates Japan as its 2026 Country of Honour — a synergy we welcome with enthusiasm, as few cinematic traditions resonate more naturally with our 15-year commitment to fantasy, wonder and the imaginary and cultural dialogue.

From left to right : Maureen Gerby and Bénédicte Beaugeois

Where to Find Us in Cannes

The Festival du Film Merveilleux & Imaginaire is no newcomer to Cannes. Over previous editions, our team has hosted the Cocktail du Merveilleux on the Croisette gathering international filmmakers, festival programmers, distributors, and journalists from Variety, Hollywood Reporter and beyond, in the spirit of fantasy cinema and cross-border collaboration. We return in 2026 with renewed ambition.

Cannes is a city of constant motion, every meeting leads to another, every coffee turns into an cocktail invitation. Throughout the week, you might find us across several of the Marché du Film’s key networking moments, including the Cannes Animation Cocktail hosted by Unifrance, Annecy Film Festival and German Films Animation; the Eurimages Cocktail; the Producers Network gatherings; the legendary Fantastic Night; and several happy hours hosted by national film institutes from Europe, Latin America and Asia and many others at the Cannes marché du Film.

We expect to be present at the Village International, at the Japan Pavilion, the Pavillon Afronova, the Baltic Pavilion, the Polish Film Institute Pavilion, the China Film Foundation Pavilion, the Pavillon France (CNC / Film France)n the Film USA pavilion and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region Pavilion, as well as at the Palais des Festivals and along the Croisette.

We were also honoured to attend the Riviera film festival opening and closing cocktails, Cordilla film festival brunch events, Cannes Gala during the 78th Festival de Cannes, we hope to be part of those prestigious moments again this year.

Japan, Country of Honour 2026: A Perfect Match for the Marvellous

The choice of Japan as 2026 Country of Honour at the Marché du Film perfectly aligned with our festival’s identity. Beyond the legacy of Ozu, Mizoguchi and Akira Kurosawa, Japan is the country of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, anime, yōkai folklore and the kaiju imagination — some of the most powerful journeys into wonder ever produced by world cinema.

Throughout the Marché, Japan will host an opening night, dedicated panels, project showcases, the new Japan IP Market in collaboration with TIFFCOM, and a special screening day. Five Japanese films also feature in the 79th Festival de Cannes Official Selection. We will be there to celebrate this presence and to deepen our engagement with Japanese cinema, UniJapan and partners across Asia.

A Project in Development: Cultural Dialogue and Emerging Voices at Cannes

Cannes 2026 is also an opportunity for us to share a project we are currently developing — a programme dedicated to accompanying emerging filmmakers from every region in their journey from short film to first feature, in line with the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This vision is rooted in 15 years of cultural dialogue: since 2010, our selections have welcomed films from over 41 countries across 5 continents, including Argentina, Benin, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Syria, Moldova and many others. We believe fantasy is a universal language transcending borders, and that tomorrow’s most powerful voices will emerge from every region of the world, without geographic exclusion.

We look forward to meeting cultural institutes, foundations, embassies’ cultural services, art curators, exhibition spaces and international partners interested in building this kind of bridge.

Meet Us at the Marché du Film

📅 Cannes Marché du Film: 12–20 May 2026 🇯🇵 Country of Honour: Japan 🎬 Festival du Film Merveilleux & Imaginaire — 15 years of fantasy and imaginary cinema

✉️ [email protected] ✉️ [email protected] 🌐 www.festival-film-merveilleux.com