The 2026 Cannes Classics lineup just opened and… it’s crazy. A special 4K restoration of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth will get a pre-opening screening. The 20th anniversary of the fantasy gem’s Cannes debut, which led to a record-breaking 22-minute standing ovation, and del Toro will be there.
Presented for the first time in 4K, it was lovingly restored from its original 35mm negative. The fantasy feature is being honored in Cannes for that record-breaking ovation. It also took home Oscars for its cinematography, art direction and make-up. It will be screened on Tuesday, May 12 at 2:30 at the Debussy.
But then you have the other end of the spectrum. Rob Cohen’s The Fast and the Furious, the seminal street-racing 2001 drama, will be presented in a midnight slot on May 13 at the Grand Théâtre Lumière. The cast includes Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and producer Neil H. Moritz expected to attend. Putting a franchise-starter in Cannes Classics just feels… like a flex. It’s the type of curation move that gets the people talking.
This year’s edition is also dedicated to Dean Tavoularis
This year they are celebrating Dean Tavoularis, the production designer from The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, and will feature 22 feature restorations, three shorts, six documentaries and two contemporary films.
There are more restored films beyond the two headline ones. Noteworthy are the picks that include Andrzej Wajda‘s Man of Iron, Luchino Visconti‘s The Innocent, and Akira Kurosawa‘s Sugata Sanshiro. Ken Russell‘s The Devils will play with the filmmaker’s biographer Mark Kermode and Russell’s wife Elisabeth Russell in tow. Chen Kaige‘s Farewell My Concubine also gets a restored 4K print.
On the documentary side, there is a large slate. Bruce Dern will be on hand for Dernsie: The Amazing Life Of Bruce Dern. It was culled from more than fifty hours of conversations. These were filmed over a four year period. It features candid interviews with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Alexander Payne, Billy Bob Thornton, Walton Goggins and daughter Laura Dern among others.
Three short films will also screen in a special program of films by Jia Zhang-Ke, Dustin Yellin, and Amirhossein Shojaei. Including talent like Zhao Tao, Paul Rudd and Darren Aronofsky is expected to be present on the Croisette.
Screenings will take place across the Buñuel and Agnès Varda theaters as well as the open air Cinéma de la Plage. This year’s 2026 Cannes Film Festival runs May 13 through May 24.
