ACID, the filmmaker-selected Cannes parallel section which first championed the early works of Justine Triet, Kaouther Ben Hania and Radu Jude, has announced the lineup for it 2026 edition.
The selection, showcasing nine independent productions, will open with French fiction Under A Bad Star (Mauvaise Étoile), previously announced as Born Under A Bad Star.
Set on a scorching hot day in a nondescript outer city suburban somewhere in the South of France, it follows 24-hours in the life of a young woman called Kiki living under the control of a violent partner. Related Stories News Yeon Sang-ho's Cannes Midnight Title 'Colony' Passes 3 Million Admissions On Korean Release News Neon Boss Tom Quinn Isn't A Fan Of Industry Consolidation: "How Would You Feel If A24 & Neon Merged? That Would Be Ridiculous"
It is the first feature of directorial duo Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier after buzzy shorts The Lost Children (Les Enfants Perdus) and Bachelorette Party (Enterrement de vie de jeune fille). Watch on Deadline
The film is just one of two titles in the lineup to have secured local and international distribution, with Urban Sales acquiring international sales rights. One of l’ACID’s aims with the Cannes lineup is to help the selected titles secure local and international distribution. Tandem has French rights for the film.
International titles in the selection include Iranian director Karim Lakzadeh’s clandestinely shot Living Twice, Dying Thrice about three miners who survive the collapse of a mine but pretend they are dead so their families can claim compensation.
They soon realize that playing dead is not so easy with their clandestine life leading to new crises, as Iranian authorities await proof of death in the backdrop.
The lineup also features the hybrid Geneva-set work Summer Drift (Virages) by Swiss director Céline Carridroit and Aline Suter about a woman working on the assembly line of a luxury watch factory who decides to revive her old VW Beetle and confront the world of mechanics that once rejected her.
Further international titles include Serbian director Ivan Marković’s Cambodia-set and shot drama Promised Spaces.
It takes its cue from the contrasting realities of construction worker Sokun, who leaves his crowded dormitory and joins a community of fellow workers living in one of many unfinished high-rises, and Seda, the first tenant of the long-awaited luxury homes, who feels trapped in the vast gated complex.
The lineup also features the animated feature Blaise by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue, following the comedic trials and tribulations of the Savage Family as it strives for societal acceptance. It takes its title from the family’s 16-year-old loner son who has set his sights on a girl he met at a party.
Blaise is the latest work inspired by Planchon’s comic strip following the titular protagonist through his tween years through to adolescence.
ACID has has previously championed the first features of Oscar winner Triet (Age of Panic) and Oscar-nominated director Ben Hania (Challet Tunes) as well as award winning filmmakers Jude, Guy Maddin and Robert Guédiguian.
The parallel sidebar enjoyed a buzzy 2025 edition in which it world premiered Iranian-French director Sepideh Farsi’s Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, and French drama Laurent dans Le Vent, which went on to enjoy a successful theatrical release at home.
Launched in 1992, ACID is Cannes’ youngest parallel section. With it lineup selected by a committee of filmmakers, its main aim is to help independent films, which could struggle to find an audience, exist in cinemas.
Ginot explains that the ACID screenings in Cannes mark the kick-off of a year-long campaign for the selected films in France, with the body organizing hundreds of events around the lineup every year. “Everything we do revolves around the question of how to ensure that films beloved by filmmakers are seen by the widest possible audience throughout France,” she says.
“The idea is always to go beyond just the major cities, to reach areas less culturally rich, and to reduce inequalities in access to films by never prejudging people’s opinions.”
A Secret Heart (Cœur Secret) documentary FranceDir: Tom Fontenille
BlaiseFranceDir: Dimitri Planchon & Jean-Paul Guigue
Born Under A Bad Star (Mauvaise Étoile) – Opening film FranceDirs: Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier
Dans La Gueule de L’Ogre – documentary FranceMahsa Karampour
Detention (La Détention) – documentary FranceDir: Guillaume Massart
Living Twice, Dying ThriceIranDir: Karim Lakzadeh
Promised SpaceFrance, Germany, Serbia, CambodiaDir: Ivan Marković
Rewind Barcelona (Barça Zou)FranceDir: Paul Nouhet
Summer Drift (Virages)Switzerland, FranceDir: Céline Carridroit & Aline Suter
Source: deadline.com