Cannes Critics Pick 10 Best Films After 79th Festival Closes

10 articles · Updated · Rolling Stone · May 24

Ten films topped critics’ Cannes 2026 list after the 79th festival ended on May 23, led by Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” which they called the standout of the event.
Two award winners featured prominently: “Ben’imana” had already taken the Camera d’Or for best first film, while Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” left Cannes with the Grand Prix runner-up prize.
Jordan Firstman’s “Club Kid” emerged as the festival’s breakout, with A24 winning a five-way bidding war for the queer New York club-culture drama after its Un Certain Regard debut.
The list also highlighted buzzy competition and sidebars, including Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” Jane Schoenbrun’s “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” and Pawel Palikowski’s “Fatherland.”
A restored “The Devils: The Director’s Cut” underscored Cannes’ broader reach beyond new premieres, with the 1971 Ken Russell film set for a theatrical release in the fall.

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