ARRI cameras dominate at Cannes 2026

For 11 hectic days in mid-May 2026, the world’s film community gathered on the Croisette for the 79th Festival de Cannes. ARRI attended the festival in support of the filmmakers and in recognition of the behind-the-scenes role played by its cameras, lenses, and lighting systems across many prize winners and official selections. ARRI cameras dominated among the films in competition—from the widely trusted ALEXA 35 to analog film cameras—while ARRI Rental teams and technical staff helped many of the crews realize their creative vision.

Several of the festival’s most prominent award winners were captured using ARRI equipment, including:

“Fjord” — dir. Cristian Mungiu; DP Tudor Vladimir Panduru RSC. Shot with ALEXA 35 and ARRI Master Anamorphic lenses. (Palme d’Or)
“The Dreamed Adventure” — dir. Valeska Grisebach; DP Bernhard Keller. Shot with ALEXA 35. (Jury Prize)
“Fatherland” — dir. Paweł Pawlikowski; DP Łukasz Żal PSC. Shot with ALEXA 35. (Best Director — tie)
“The Black Ball” — dir. Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi; DP Gris Jordana AEC. Shot with ARRICAM ST (3-perf). (Best Director — tie)
“Everytime” — dir. Sandra Wollner; DP Gregory Oke. Shot with ALEXA 35. (Un Certain Regard — Best Film)
“Elephants in the Fog” — dir. Abinash Bikram Shah; DP Noe Bach AFC. Shot with ALEXA Mini. (Un Certain Regard — Jury Prize)
“Ben Imana” — dir. Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo; DP Mostafa El Kashef. Shot with ALEXA 35. (Camera d’Or)
“I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning” — dir. Clio Barnard; DP Simon Tindall. Shot with ARRIFLEX 416. (Audience Award — Directors’ Fortnight)

“Fjord” — dir. Cristian Mungiu; DP Tudor Vladimir Panduru RSC. Shot with ALEXA 35 and ARRI Master Anamorphic lenses. (Palme d’Or)

The Dreamed Adventure ©Komplizen Film Sebastian Hempel

The Dreamed Adventure — dir. Valeska Grisebach; DP Bernhard Keller. Shot with ALEXA 35. (Jury Prize)

“Elephants in the Fog” — dir. Abinash Bikram Shah; DP Noe Bach AFC. Shot with ALEXA Mini. (Un Certain Regard — Jury Prize)

“Ben Imana” — dir. Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo; DP Mostafa El Kashef. Shot with ALEXA 35. (Camera d’Or)

ARRI festival activities

For the 15th time, ARRI was proud to sponsor the Directors’ Fortnight, which runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival and is dedicated to showcasing the most singular forms of contemporary cinema. ARRI cameras and lights were provided for official photocall and interview locations at the JW Marriott hotel and Quinzaine Beach, ensuring flattering illumination and high-quality imagery for the press.

The ARRI team attending the festival also hosted a producers’ lunch at Quinzaine Beach, caught up with scores of filmmakers and industry friends, and conducted interviews with cinematographers about their technical and creative choices on specific productions, which will be published in the coming weeks.

ALEXA 35 leads the industry

ARRI’s ALEXA 35 again emerged as the most trusted camera within the Main Competition and across the wider festival. It was used on at least 35 of the screened films and 10 out of 18 Main Competition entries: “Bitter Christmas” (DP Pau Esteve Birba, AEC), “A Woman’s Life” (DP Noé Bach AFC), “Coward” (DP Frank van den Eeden SBC, NSC), “The Dreamed Adventure” (DP Bernhard Keller), “The Unknown” (DP Tom Harari), “Another Day” (DP Antoine Cormier), “The Birthday Party” (DP Paul Guilhaume AFC), “Fatherland” (DP Lukasz Zal PSC), “The Beloved” (DP Alejandro De Pablo), and the winning film, “Fjord” (DP Tudor Vladimir Panduru RSC).

Speaking to ARRI the day before his film “Fjord” was announced as the Palme d’Or winner, cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru RSC described how the ALEXA 35 helped him handle high-contrast scenes that combined interior practical sources with bright sunlight in windows:

The ALEXA 35 was a lifesaver; the dynamic range it holds is massive. There was a barn scene where the contrast was so high I was worried about clipping, but the sensor handled the highlights and the depth perfectly. I rated the entire film at 1600 ISO [EI] because I felt comfortable with how the camera managed the lower part of the curve while preserving the highlights.

Tudor Vladimir Panduru RSC

Cinematographer

Alongside ALEXA 35, many other ALEXA variants also featured across the selection, in particular the ALEXA Mini and ALEXA Mini LF, which between them shot more films screened at the festival than any non-ARRI camera. In the Main Competition the ALEXA Mini LF was used to shoot “Parallel Tales” (DP Guillaume Deffontaines AFC) and “Hope” (DP Hong Kyung‑pyo), as well as the festival’s opening film, “The Electric Kiss” (DP Julien Poupard AFC).

The enduring appeal of analog film

A notable element of this year’s festival was the number of entries that elected to shoot on analog film. Here again, ARRI cameras led the field. ARRICAM LT and ST models were used to capture several Main Competition titles: “The Black Ball” (DP Gris Jordana AEC), “Sheep in the Box” (DP Kondo Ryuto), “Moulin” (DP Mátyás Erdély ASC, HCA), “The Man I Love” (DP Josée Deshaies AFC), “Gentle Monster” (DP Judith Kaufmann BVK), and “Paper Tiger” (DP Joaquín Baca-Asay). “The Beloved” (DP Alejandro De Pablo) opted for a hybrid workflow, combining the digital ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF, and ALEXA Mini with the analog ARRICAM LT, ARRIFLEX 765, and ARRIFLEX 416. The 16 mm ARRIFLEX 416 was also used on several other projects, and even the older-generation ARRIFLEX 16SR 3 was used to shoot “All the Lovers in the Night” in the Un Certain Regard category.