For the first time since at least 2012, Cannes Film Festival left African cinema completely out of its main competition lineup. The festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or slate included 21 films, none from the continent that’s been winning major awards just a few years ago. The last big African winner was Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” in 2021, which took home the Palme d’Or. Before that, Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” won the Grand Prix in 2019. African films have been regulars in the top prizes since the 1970s, with Souleymane Cissé and Gaston Kaboré winning big early on. The sudden absence feels like a step backward at a moment when African cinema is getting more global attention than ever. Global streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are snapping up African films, and festivals from Venice to Sundance have been featuring them prominently. Yet Cannes, the most watched film festival in the world, gave African directors the cold shoulder this time around. Festival director Thierry Frémaux insists the selection is based purely on merit, not geography. “We look at each film on its own,” he told French media. “Geography doesn’t play any role in our choices.” But film critics aren’t so sure. “This looks like a pattern, not a coincidence,” said Olivier Barlet, editor of the French film magazine Africultures. “African films were winning here just a few years ago. What changed?” Some point to the pandemic years disrupting production schedules, while others argue that Cannes’ jury often favors films from countries with long-standing cultural ties to France. ## African cinema is winning everywhere else African films are getting more love outside Cannes than ever. This year alone, “The Gravedigger’s Wife” from Somalia won big at Berlin, while “Neptune Frost” from Rwanda took awards in Locarno. African films are popping up in Venice, Toronto, and even Oscar shortlists. Streaming platforms are buying African content at record rates, and film schools across the continent are graduating more directors than ever before. Yet Cannes, which still sets the tone for global cinema, seems to have missed this wave. The festival did include one African co-production—“The Oldest Son”, a French-Burkinabé film—but it landed in the Un Certain Regard section, not the main competition. Critics argue that without a strong African presence in the top prize race, Cannes risks looking out of touch. “The festival’s image is still tied to its old guard,” said Jean-Pierre Bekolo, a Cameroonian filmmaker. “They’re not reflecting where global cinema is headed.” ## Why Cannes matters even when it ignores you Cannes sets trends that ripple across the film world. A Palme d’Or can make or break a director’s career, and a snub sends a message. When African films won in 2021, it felt like a turning point. Now, with none in the running, some wonder if the festival is quietly pushing African cinema to the sidelines. Festival insiders say the selection process is blind and based solely on screeners sent in by distributors. But African filmmakers say the problem runs deeper. Many can’t afford the high costs of submitting films to Cannes, which charges fees that add up to thousands of euros. Others argue that Cannes’ jury members, often drawn from European film circles, gravitate toward films that feel familiar or cater to their tastes. The festival’s defenders point out that African films did make appearances in other sections this year, like in the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week. But the main competition remains the gold standard, the one that gets all the headlines. Without African films there, the message to the world is clear: African cinema isn’t quite ready for the top table. ## What happens next to African cinema at Cannes? The festival’s next edition will test whether this year’s snub was a one-off or the start of a trend. African filmmakers are already pushing back. A group of directors from across the continent is calling for a boycott of Cannes unless the selection process becomes more transparent. Others are focusing on building their own platforms, like the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), which has been a launchpad for African cinema for decades. But the reality is that Cannes still matters. A Palme d’Or can change lives, and without African films in the running, the festival risks losing relevance in a world where African stories are in high demand. As one filmmaker put it, “Cannes can ignore us, but it can’t stop us from telling our stories.”

What You Need to Know

  • Source: RFI
  • Published: May 16, 2026 at 16:05 UTC
  • Category: World
  • Topics: #rfi · #france · #world-news · #entertainment · #movies · #african

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Curated by GlobalBR News · May 16, 2026

🇧🇷 Resumo em Português

Nunca antes na história do Festival de Cannes, um dos eventos cinematográficos mais prestigiados do mundo, faltou tanto a presença africana na competição principal quanto nesta edição. Pela primeira vez em décadas, nenhum filme do continente africano foi selecionado para disputar a Palma de Ouro, o que levanta questionamentos sobre exclusão, representatividade e o futuro do cinema africano no cenário global.

A ausência de produções africanas em Cannes reflete um problema estrutural que vai além do mérito artístico: falta de investimento, distribuição limitada e uma indústria cinematográfica ainda em desenvolvimento em muitos países do continente. Para o Brasil, que compartilha desafios semelhantes na promoção do cinema nacional, a discussão é urgente. Enquanto nações africanas como Nigéria e África do Sul já despontam com produções de impacto, a falta de acesso a financiamentos internacionais e a visibilidade em festivais de grande porte perpetuam uma invisibilidade que prejudica tanto os artistas quanto o público global.

A pergunta que fica é: quando o cinema africano, com sua riqueza cultural e narrativa, finalmente terá o reconhecimento merecido? A resposta pode depender não só dos próprios cineastas, mas também de uma mudança de paradigma nas políticas culturais internacionais.

🇪🇸 Resumen en Español

El Festival de Cannes 2024 ha dejado una ausencia llamativa: por primera vez en años, ninguna película africana compitió en la selección oficial. La noticia resuena más allá de las alfombras rojas, pues pone en evidencia las barreras estructurales que aún frenan el reconocimiento internacional del cine africano, a pesar de su creciente influencia global.

El vacío en la competencia principal no es casualidad, sino el resultado de años de desequilibrios en la industria: la falta de financiación estable, la dificultad para acceder a mercados dominados por producciones europeas y estadounidenses, y los criterios de selección que, según críticos, priorizan narrativas exotizantes sobre el África contemporánea. Para el público hispanohablante, este debate invita a reflexionar sobre cómo el cine africano —con su riqueza cultural y narrativa— sigue siendo marginado en circuitos de prestigio, a pesar de su impacto en festivales como el de San Sebastián o en plataformas de streaming que lo visibilizan cada vez más. La pregunta que queda en el aire es si Cannes, símbolo de la industria cinematográfica, está perdiendo la oportunidad de ser parte de su transformación.