Europe Major Market Marché du Film 2026 – Cannes Film Market (May 12–21)

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Marché du Film 2026

Location
Cannes, France

Market Dates
May 12–21, 2026

Event Type
Film Market / Global Industry Event

Focus​

Film sales and acquisitions
International distribution
Co-production partnerships
Film financing
Project development and packaging
Global industry networking

Who Attends​

Sales agents
Film distributors
Producers
Investors and financiers
Streaming platforms
Festival programmers
International buyers

About the Market​

The Marché du Film is one of the largest and most influential film markets in the world, held annually alongside the Cannes Film Festival.
Each year thousands of film industry professionals gather in Cannes to buy and sell films, discover new projects, negotiate international distribution deals, and build global partnerships.
With hundreds of market screenings, conferences, and networking events, the market plays a major role in shaping the global film business.

Participation​

Participation requires official Marché du Film market accreditation.
Accreditation provides access to market screenings, industry conferences, networking events, and professional meetings.

Fees​

Registration and accreditation fees vary depending on participation type and access level.

Official Website
Marché du Film – Cannes Film Market

Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes | "The heart of the film industry"

The Marché du Film is THE rendez-vous for professionals of the global film industry from producers to distributors, buyers, programmers & more.

www.marchedufilm.com

Associated Festival
Cannes Film Festival 2026

 

[MICA]

Yes… the Marché du Film accreditation fees went up again this year. At this point that’s almost a tradition in Cannes. If you buy your accreditation early you can still save a bit, but overall everything keeps getting more expensive.

What really gets crazy every year is accommodation. During the festival the apartment prices go through the roof. And there is a very typical Cannes situation: if you book an Airbnb, it’s not uncommon that the host cancels the reservation a few times and then writes that the price wasn’t updated for the festival period.
Despite all that, in my opinion Cannes is still the best film market of the year. This is where the most deals happen, both sales and acquisitions.
Personally I think it’s stronger than Berlin and much more effective than the American Film Market. The pace during the market can be intense. It’s very common to have meetings every 30 minutes, basically running from one place to another all day. But that’s also part of the fun. Quite often meetings continue over lunch or dinner.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that attendance seems to be slightly lower than it used to be. Not dramatically, but it’s noticeable.
Another small change is that the dress code isn’t always as formal as it used to be. Sometimes people show up to meetings in very casual outfits, which was less common years ago.
During the busy days there is one reliable stop though: the Nespresso counter upstairs where they serve great coffee, and that’s still one of the few things that’s free.
Inside the Palais fewer companies seem to have stands these days because the cost has become extremely high. Because of that many meetings now happen in nearby hotels or apartments, which means you easily end up walking 6–10 kilometers per day.
It also feels like there are fewer evening parties and company events compared to the past. Years ago there used to be a lot more networking events at night.
But from a business perspective Cannes is still the strongest film market. During those days everyone who matters in the industry is there producers, major companies, sales agents, distributors, investors and plenty of well-known faces.
Chaotic, expensive and exhausting… but still the most important film market in the world.

 

[John]

I’ve been attending Cannes and the Marché du Film for quite a few years now, and a lot of what you mentioned really reflects what many of us who’ve been going for a decade or more have experienced.

The market is still extremely important probably still the most effective place in the world when it comes to international film deals. But the atmosphere has definitely changed compared to 10–15 years ago.
A good example of this is the restaurant situation. Years ago during the market it was almost impossible to get a table in Cannes. Even if you had a reservation, there was still a chance that when you arrived there simply wasn’t a table available or the booking somehow “disappeared”, because the city was completely packed with producers, sales agents and buyers. In the last few years it has actually become noticeably easier to get a table, which says a lot about how the pressure on the city has changed compared to the past.
The number of parties and company events has also decreased. Ten or fifteen years ago almost every major sales company or distributor hosted something during the week cocktail receptions, networking events, yacht meetings or late-night parties. Today there are still events of course, but far fewer companies organize them. Budgets are tighter and many companies prefer to focus on meetings and screenings instead.
The stands inside the Palais are another example. The prices have become extremely high, so many companies now prefer to hold meetings in nearby hotels or rented apartments. Because of that the market feels much more spread out than it used to be.

Despite these changes, if you want to meet the key players of the international film industry producers, distributors, financiers, streaming platforms and festival programmers Cannes