Now that the 2026 Cannes Film Festival is over, the attendees who got a first look at the upcoming releases have all had a chance to share their thoughts on the most promising movies. The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from May 12 to May 23, 2026, and featured over 100 new films. With so much to watch and so little time, here are the highest-rated full-length films (not the winners, to be clear) from each category, according to average ratings on IMDb, which accepts ratings from regular users as well as critics.
In Competition – Feature Films
There were 22 feature films in competition for the Palme d’Or (“Golden Palm”)–the most prestigious prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
Soudain (“All of a Sudden”) – 7.9 stars
Minotaur -7.8 stars
Fjord – 7.9 stars
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard (“A Certain Glance”) houses 19 nontraditional films by emerging talent that compete for a top prize: the Prix Un Certain Regard.
Subete Mayonaka No Koibitotachi (“All the Lovers in the Night”) – 7.8 stars
Elephants in the Fog – 8.1 stars
Out of Competition
The Out of Competition category is for full-length films that have star-studded casts and are set to succeed on a large scale, but lack the artistic vision of the feature films in competition. Although these 12 films cannot receive prizes from Cannes, viewers seem to think that La Bataille de Gaulle: L’âge de Fer (“De Gaulle: Tilting Iron”) is the unofficial winner
La Bataille de Gaulle: L’âge de Fer (“De Gaulle: Tilting Iron”) – 8.4 stars
Cannes Premiere
This relatively new category was created in the wake of the pandemic to showcase films that should have been nominated for the 2020 festival, which was canceled for obvious reasons. Now, Cannes Premiere is a non-competitive category containing films that the Cannes Selection committee simply did not have room for in the In Competition – Feature Films category. Out of the 10 films in the category this year, Aquí has the highest rating with 8.1 stars. The Match is a close second with 8.0 stars.
Special Screenings
Special Screenings is a more ambiguous category highlighting films that do not fit into competition criteria–mainly documentaries or films centered around a specific theme, a niche identity, or a personal story. Unlike Un Certain Regard, this category is not competitive, as in, there is no grand prize, but the leader in ratings out of 14 films is Tangles, with 8.0 stars.
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