Five Art Films to Watch in 2026 at Cannes and Beyond
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival featured five films exploring art and creativity. Pierre Salvadori's 'La Vénus électrique' (out of competition, released May 13) follows a fairground worker who fakes spiritualism for a grieving painter, played by Pio Marmaï, with Gilles Lellouche as his dealer. Asghar Farhadi's 'Histoires parallèles' (in competition, released May 14) stars Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Pierre Niney, Vincent Cassel, and Catherine Deneuve in a story about writing and surveillance. Kōji Fukada's 'Nagi Notes' (in competition, out October 7) is set in Nagi, Okayama, Japan, following an architect from Taiwan who poses for her ex-sister-in-law, a wood sculptor, with references to Edward Hopper. Volker Schlöndorff's 'Heimsuchung (Le Bois de Klara)' (out of competition, upcoming) traces the history of a Bauhaus-style house built for a German architect and his ceramicist wife, later owned by a Jewish textile manufacturer and then a communist writer, becoming an artists' residence. Ron Howard's documentary 'Avedon' (special screening, released May 17) covers Richard Avedon's career through retrospectives at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (1970), Marlborough Gallery (1975), and Metropolitan Museum of Art (1978), featuring testimonials from Larry Gagosian and Jane Livingston.
Key facts
- Five art-themed films were presented at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
- La Vénus électrique by Pierre Salvadori is a comedy about a fake medium and a painter.
- Histoires parallèles by Asghar Farhadi features Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Pierre Niney, Vincent Cassel, and Catherine Deneuve.
- Nagi Notes by Kōji Fukada is set in Nagi, Okayama, Japan, and involves an architect and a wood sculptor.
- Heimsuchung (Le Bois de Klara) by Volker Schlöndorff follows a Bauhaus house through multiple owners over decades.
- Avedon by Ron Howard is a documentary on photographer Richard Avedon, with retrospectives at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Marlborough Gallery, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- The documentary includes interviews with Larry Gagosian and Jane Livingston.
- Avedon had a special screening on May 17, 2026, at the Agnès Varda theater.
Entities
Artists
- Pierre Salvadori
- Anaïs Demoustier
- Pio Marmaï
- Gilles Lellouche
- Asghar Farhadi
- Isabelle Huppert
- Virginie Efira
- Pierre Niney
- Vincent Cassel
- Catherine Deneuve
- Kōji Fukada
- Edward Hopper
- Volker Schlöndorff
- Ron Howard
- Richard Avedon
- Andy Warhol
- Pablo Picasso
- Audrey Hepburn
- Larry Gagosian
- Jane Livingston
- Thierry Frémaux
- Agnès Varda
Institutions
- Festival de Cannes
- Connaissance des Arts
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts
- Marlborough Gallery
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Imagine Entertainment
Locations
- Cannes
- France
- Nagi
- Okayama
- Japan
- Taiwan