Investors Circle, the Marché du Film’s prestigious initiative connecting private investors with high-end film projects, returns for its fourth edition during the 79th Festival de Cannes. The 2026 edition will spotlight eight never-before-seen feature projects, presented by leading producers and visionary directors in a private, invitation-only setting to a select group of VIP private investors.
This year’s curated lineup reflects the breadth of contemporary international cinema, bringing together distinctive directorial voices from a wide range of territories, with a particular focus on European talent. Their works have premiered and been recognized at the world’s leading festivals – spanning a broad range of cinematic approaches, with budgets ranging from €1M to over €12M.
“Following last year’s edition, the Investors Circle has already led to concrete investment outcomes, with projects such as Gentle Monster by Marie Kreutzer and Poeta Chileno by Sebastián Lelio securing investors through the program,” said Guillaume Esmiol, Executive Director of the Marché du Film. “At the same time, participating filmmakers were also represented across prestigious festival selections. For this new edition, we are further refining the selection process, and we will once again have a very prestigious selection of projects. We also plan to expand the initiative beyond Cannes through year-round activities, such as the recent workshop we did in Trieste during When East Meets West.”
“This year’s selection reflects a deliberate effort to bring together projects at different stages of development and financing, spanning a wide range of budgets, genres and narrative approaches,” adds Alexandra Zakharchenko, Head of the Investors Circle program. “Particular attention has been given to projects that are ready to engage with private investment, combining clear market potential with strong creative positioning, including a growing presence of elevated genre-driven works.”
The 2026 selection process was overseen by the Head of Investors Circle, Alexandra Zakharchenko, in collaboration with an annually renewed committee of industry figures. This year’s committee comprised Céline Dornier (Content Executive, IPR.VC), Jean des Forêts (Founder & CEO, Petit Film), Alice Laffillé (Vice President of International Sales, FilmNation Entertainment) and Anthony Muir (Senior Executive for International Co-Productions, Film i Väst).
Scheduled for Saturday, 16 May and Sunday, 17 May, the event will take place at the prestigious Plage des Palmes, the official beachside venue of the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes. The public-facing conference panel will take place on Saturday, featuring keynote talks by leading figures from the global film industry, with a particular focus on brands and their growing influence within the film financing ecosystem, expanding both their strategic presence and investment in cinema.
The following day, the entire afternoon will be dedicated to a private, invitation-only session, including the pitching session and curated one-on-one matchmaking meetings between selected projects and investors. This closed-door segment will offer a focused environment for in-depth discussions around the eight selected international film projects at the financing stage.
Access to the private session and cocktail event is strictly by invitation and reserved for a select group of VIP private investors.
2026 SELECTED DIRECTORS
- Noé Debré (France) – Screenwriter of Dheepan, Palme d’Or winner at the Festival de Cannes, and collaborator of filmmakers, including Jacques Audiard and Romain Gavras. He made his directorial debut in 2024 with A Nice Jewish Boy.
- Ismaël El Iraki (Morocco/France) – La Fémis alumnus, where his short films screened at Cannes and Clermont-Ferrand. His debut feature Zanka Contact premiered in Orizzonti at the Venice Film Festival, where its actress Khansa Batma won Best Actress. The film has since toured major international festivals.
- Felipe Gálvez (Chile) – Chilean filmmaker, writer and editor based in Paris. His debut feature The Settlers (Los Colonos) premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received the FIPRESCI Prize. His short film Rapaz was also selected at Semane de la Critique in Cannes.
- Atsuko Hirayanagi (Japan/USA) – Award-winning screenwriter and director based in San Francisco. Her short film Oh Lucy! screened at major festivals including Cannes and Sundance, winning over 35 awards. Her debut feature of the same name premiered at Semaine de la Critique in Cannes.
- Juho Kuosmanen (Finland) – Helsinki-based filmmaker whose works have all been awarded at the Festival de Cannes, including The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Un Certain Regard) and Compartment No. 6, which won the Grand Prix in Competition at Cannes.
- Emanuel Pârvu (Romania) – Director, screenwriter and actor. His debut feature Meda earned Best Director at Sarajevo, followed by Mikado (San Sebastián). His latest film Three Kilometres to the End of the World premiered in Competition at Cannes, where it won the Queer Palm.
- Carine Tardieu (France) – French director and screenwriter known for her nuanced portrayals of intimacy and contemporary family structures. Her films include Ôtez-moi d’un doute (Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes 2017) and The Ties That Bind Us (L’Attachement) (Venice 2024), which won the César for Best Film and Best Adaptation.
- Magnus von Horn (Sweden/Poland) – Graduate of the Łódź Film School, his debut The Here After premiered at Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and won multiple awards. Sweat (2020) screened in the Festival de Cannes’ Official Selection, and The Girl with the Needle (2024) also premiered in Competition, earning major international recognition, including Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.
The Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes opens its doors on 12 May 2026, with the film market running until 20 May and the Festival concluding its activities on 23 May.
The Investors Circle program is organized by the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes with the support of Europe Creative MEDIA.