Has Cannes Lost Its Touch? Nope - They've Still Got the Best Films

Are film festivals still important? How relevant are they nowadays? Is there something strange going on with film festivals worldwide that no one is talking about? These are some of the prominent questions on my mind in 2026 as the year rattles on. From Sundance to Berlinale to SXSW to Cannes and eventually right to Telluride/TIFF/Venice in the fall, there's always another edition of each festival to look forward to coming up. The 2026 Cannes Film Festival just concluded in France, celebrating its 79th year in 2026, with an exciting jubilee 80th anniversary celebration coming up in 2027. But was it a good year in Cannes? Did they even play any good films? I've read some reports from outsiders who were not at the festival saying that they think it was an unexciting and mostly muted year in Cannes – not that many breakout films, not much that actually sounds exciting to watch. Well, I'm here to say they're wrong. There ARE a handful of outstanding films from Cannes this year. Though perhaps not as many as usual. So there is some truth to their claim, and the Cannes 2026 was a bit lackluster overall, however I still believe that Cannes remains the king (or is it the queen?) of film festivals. They've still got all the best films, they're still programming many iconic all-timer cinematic creations, and they're still the vital place where it cinema history happens in May year after year. // Continue Reading ›

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Official Trailer for Doc 'Groundswell' All About Rethinking Agriculture

"Farm by farm, we can actually heal the entire world." Prime Video has unveiled the official trailer for a documentary film titled simply Groundswell, arriving to watch streaming on Prime Video this June. This just premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival as a Special Screening – it's rare a documentary ever gets a good spot at this festival. Groundswell is the stirring final chapter of a groundbreaking documentary trilogy following Kiss the Ground and Common Ground, a sweeping cinematic journey across 5 continents narrated by Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. At the heart of this film is regeneration, a practical and proven set of farming practices that build living soil, store vast amounts of carbon deep underground, and produce more nutrient-dense food on the same acre of land. It is measurable. Across the globe, farmers, scientists, Indigenous leaders, & visionaries are already proving it at scale, quietly reversing 3 interconnected crises racing toward humanity: climate change, species extinction, and catastrophic soil loss. The film highlights a positive chance for real change: a groundswell of hope and a living blueprint for global renewal. This seems like another must see doc for anyone wondering how to rethink agriculture in order to truly heal the planet. // Continue Reading ›

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Watch: Heartfelt Short 'Healing Hands' About a Boy Losing His Hearing

"I wanted to make you and Mommy happy with me!" Omeleto has debuted a lovely little short film called Healing Hands, made by filmmaker Jordan Ochel, and it's worth a watch. After playing at film festivals over the last year, it's now available online for everyone to enjoy. Healing Hands is a 14-minute short film about a deaf boy longing for acceptance who finds himself in a situation that will change his understanding of what it means to be "complete." This tender, empathetic story is a portrait of a little boy coming to terms with himself. "Told with a luminous, composed visual naturalism, it has a sure-handed focus and sensitivity in how the storytelling immerses us in Jonah's world and subjectivity, and a respect for how he & his family approach Jonah's journey from denial to acceptance." Starring Alexander Campos III as Jonah. The story is based on the writer / director's own personal experiences growing up. There have been a bunch of superb films about Deafness recently, better to see more because many people still need to learn. Along with Oscar winner CODA, I'm also a fan of Sound of Metal and recent doc Deaf President Now. Watch the short below. // Continue Reading ›

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Bailee Madison in Modern RomCom '40 Dates and 40 Nights' Trailer

"It's okay to let people know you." Brainstorm Media has unveiled the official trailer for another fun indie romantic comedy film titled 40 Dates and 40 Nights, arriving to watch in June this summer. The title is a spin on the other fun romcom movie from 2002 called 40 Days and 40 Nights, which had Josh Hartnett & Shannyn Sossamon. This time it's a different premise about a girl trying out 40 dates in rapid succession. Burned out on dating and ready to quit, Leah accepts her grandma's outrageous challenge: 40 dates in 40 nights and if she completes this she'll pay her rent for a year. From awkward dinners to unexpected sparks, she discovers the biggest obstacle to love might be herself. "Love doesn't happen overnight... it takes time." Starring Bailee Madison (from "Pretty Little Liars") as Leah, Joel Courtney as a nice boy, Annie Potts as grandma, Jai Rodriguez, Jack Schumacher, Luxy Banner, Eric Nelsen, plus tons of forgettable guys. The film is a fun, modern rom-com with lots of heart and humor, offering a relatable take on today's dating culture. This looks extra cheesy and exactly like what a direct-to-VOD movie is expected to look like. // Continue Reading ›

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Official Trailer for 'Reading Lolita in Tehran' with Golshifteh Farahani

"Great books are supposed to make you feel uneasy, and make you question what you take for granted." Greenwich Entertainment & Kanopy have revealed the official US trailer for the film Reading Lolita in Tehran, a story about Iranian resistance now releasing in July this summer. This originally premiered in 2024 at the Rome Film Fest, where it won the Audience Award as well as Special Jury Prize. It also played at numerous other festivals but isn't getting a full release in US theaters until this year. In revolutionary Iran, as fundamentalists tighten their grip on society, a professor secretly gathers a handful of her most dedicated female students from her university to read and discuss forbidden classics of Western literature, including Lolita and Pride & Prejudice. Based on the bestselling memoir by Azar Nafisi about her life in 1980s Tehran. Starring Golshifteh Farahani as Azar Nafisi, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mina Kavani, Reza Diako, Arash Marandi, Catayoune Ahmadi, & Sina Parvaneh. The reviews are pretty good for this, describing it as a story about "culture as a tool against oppression." An inspiring story that we need right now. Worth a watch. // Continue Reading ›

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Fun Trailer for David Wain's 'Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass'

"Hey, I'm Jon. What's up?" Sony Pictures Classics has unveiled the full official trailer for the totally bonkers all-out comedy Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, the latest creation from Wet Hot American Summer director David Wain. This actually premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It's one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen, but that's also the entire point (so dumb it's fun), following this young woman on a wacky adventure around Los Angeles. When her fiancé uses their "celebrity pass" agreement to sleep with his fave celeb, small town bride Gail Daughtry travels to Hollywood seeking revenge by pursuing her own celebrity encounter. Her goal: to find and sleep with Jon Hamm. Off she goes, joining forces with a talent agency assistant, a paparazzo, and actor John Slattery, all in the search of this actor. Zoey Deutch stars as Gail, along with Jon Hamm (of course), John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang, Joe Lo Truglio, and Sabrina Impacciatore. Plus Mather Zickel, Tobie Windham, Matthew Jayson Cwern, Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Zac Oyama, and "Weird Al", too. Get ready for the ride of your life... and maybe journey too. Hitting theaters in July this summer. Have fun. // Continue Reading ›

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Cannes 2026: 'Everytime' is a Boldly Cinematic Unique Take on Grief

A fresh new vision of cinema unfolds in front of our eyes. Emerging from the cinema, you will never see the world the same way again. Wow. This here is real, profound, bold cinema. It left me totally shaken, boasting a handful of entirely unforgettable shots (you'll notice them as soon as they arrive). Everytime is the latest feature from acclaimed Austrian filmmaker Sandra Wollner, a remarkably vibrant new take on grief and how it shatters the world around us. Everytime won the main award in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, standing out for so many reasons. It deserves this prize and plenty others. I'm also not the only one saying this film should've been in the festival's Main Competition, it's really that good. Then more people would've been able to watch it and start talking about it and discussing everything in the second half because WHOA. This is a serious conversation-starter film – in a good way. Everyone will have something to say about it, some questions to ask, some ideas to consider. What does it all mean?! Which is what truly great cinema can achieve when it's enchanting and emotionally profound and superbly cinematic. // Continue Reading ›

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