The Cannes Film Festival unveiled its 2026 selection, spotlighting four films by MENA directors across a dynamic lineup that includes Asghar Farhadi, Arthur Harari, Laila Marrakchi, and Rakan Mayasi, featured in both the Competition and Un Certain Regard sections. Here’s a closer look at the regional films that made it to the festival.
Parallel Tales by Asghar Farhadi
Iranian
Asghar Farhadi, the two-time Oscar-winning master of layered storytelling, is back in the Cannes spotlight with Parallel Tales, a gripping, multi-threaded drama that weaves together interconnected lives in the aftermath of the November 2015 Paris attacks. Led by powerhouse performances from Vincent Cassel and Virginie Efira, the film promises the kind of emotional intensity and moral complexity Farhadi does best.
The Unknown by Arthur Harari
Egyptian-French
Arthur Harari steps into surreal territory with his upcoming psychological fantasy film, The Unknown, adapted from the graphic novel, The Case of David Zimmerman. Blending mystery, identity twists, and dreamlike tension, the film brings together a striking cast led by Léa Seydoux and Niels Schneider, promising a hypnotic dive into Harari’s signature world of slow-burn intrigue and psychological depth.
La Más Dulce by Laïla Marrakchi
Moroccan
In this year’s Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard section, Laila Marrakchi returns with La más dulce, following two young women who leave Morocco for what promises to be a fresh start picking strawberries in Spain, only to see their summer dreams unravel as exploitation and harassment turn opportunity into ordeal.3
Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep by Rakan Mayasi
Palestinian
Palestinian filmmaker Rakan Mayasi brings Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep to the Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard lineup, a haunting journey set in a Bedouin village in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where the disappearance of Gamra sets an entire community on edge. As night falls, two sisters step into the darkness as a symbolic offering, navigating a world of blood, memory, and silence in a desperate attempt to contain a fire that threatens to consume everything.
These MENA directors have brought Arab stories to the world stage through the Cannes Film Festival, showcasing the region’s cinematic excellence and the depth of its narratives. Their works continue to resonate internationally, proving that Arab cinema is not only evolving but also firmly rooted in powerful, universal storytelling.
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