Cannes interview: Pierre-Alexis Chevit, Head of Cannes Docs
“I’m stating the obvious by saying that filmmakers and film festivals have a crucial role to play in preserving democracy, free speech, critical thinking, and in resisting reactionary ideologies,” a candid Pierre-Alexis Chevit, Head of Cannes Docs, tells BDE before doors open on the 2026 edition. The event kicks off May 14, and will culminate May 19 with Doc Day, which this year will include top-level contributions from the likes of Mstyslav Chernov, Mark Cousins, Ema Ryan Yamazaki and David Greaves, as well as the Docs-in-Progress Awards Ceremony.
New funding outfit Saudade Ink announces Cannes launch
Ireland/UK’s Mike Downey and Istanbul-based Emir Kuelal Haznevi, both executive producers on Cannes competition 2026 entries Parallel Tales (Asghar Farhadi) and All of a Sudden (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), have joined forces to form the new boutique film financing outfit Saudade Ink to develop, produce and invest in quality arthouse fiction and documentary cinema from across the world.
Seven documentaries selected for Cannes Classics 2026
The section features docs on cinema and its history, highlighting major figures such as Bruce Dern, David Lean, Vittorio De Sica, and Chris Marker, as well as Mark Cousins’ latest episode in his continuing series on the history of documentary filmmaking, this time focusing on the 1970s. These films will compete for the L’Œil d’Or award presented during the awards ceremony of the 79th Festival de Cannes. All doc selections…
Cannes Docs unveils Docs-in-Progress Showcase program
The Docs-in-Progress program partners with institutions from around the world to exhibit carefully selected works at final stages of production and which are looking to hit the circuit within the coming weeks or months. Each of the eight showcases features four projects, presented in the form of a live pitch and a 10-minute excerpt of the rough-cut, designed to catch the attention of decision-makers, festival programmers, and sales agents. Cannes Docs runs 14-19 May 2026.
Doc selections for Cannes ACID 2026
Three feature documentaries and one doc hybrid are selected for the Cannes sidebar section dedicated to independent, ground-breaking cinema. “The films presented are all gestures that bring us together—stories rooted in a poetic reality that is joyful, unexpected, but above all free and unformatted. They thus emerge as powerful acts of resistance—and of hope,” the ACID programmers collectively write.
Cannes Directors Fortnight 2026: 3 feature docs, 2 shorts
Among the 19 features and shorts selected for Cannes Directors Fortnight 2026 are five documentaries. These include Thanks for Coming, the final instalment of Alain Cavalier’s ongoing filmed diary. “We are delighted by the significant presence of documentaries (3 features and 2 shorts)…showcasing highly distinctive works that demonstrate the exceptional richness and vitality of [the form],” comments Artistic Director Julien Rejl.
