Today officially opens the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious and followed cultural events in the world.
However, one fact has sparked controversy: for the first time in nearly ten years, no Italian film is competing in the official selection. This absence is stinging, especially for a film industry that has written indelible pages in the history of Cannes, from Rossellini to Fellini, from Visconti to Sorrentino.
Yet Italy is there. Here's how.
Monica Bellucci: the most anticipated on the Croisette
Among the most iconic Italian presences of this edition is her, Monica Bellucci. The Umbrian actress—one of the most beloved and recognized in the world—is in the cast of Stories of the Night (international title: The Birthday Party), directed by French director Léa Mysius and competing for the Palme d'Or. The film is a thriller based on a novel by Laurent Mauvignier, which explores the darkest corners of family intimacy. Bellucci and Cannes have a long and intense history, and every one of her returns to the red carpet is an event. This year will be no exception.
Lorenzo Zurzolo: the young Italian in the stellar cast of The black ball
There is also a new Italian entry to keep an eye on: Lorenzo Zurzolo, the young Roman actor known to the general public thanks to the series Toddler, arrives in Cannes with The black ball, directed by Spanish filmmakers Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo. The film—also in competition for the Palme d'Or—features a stunning cast: Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close, Lola Dueñas, and Julio Torres. For Zurzolo, this represents a significant leap in quality, confirming that Italian cinema can nurture talents who conquer international stages.
Isabella Ferrari, Ornella Muti, Franco Nero and many others in Elastic Rome
A strong Italian presence is seen in Elastic Rome, a fiction film directed by French director Bertrand Mandico. Filmed at Cinecittà Studios, it is a French-Italian co-production with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture and Rai Cinema. It stars French actresses Marion Cotillard and Noémie Merlant, but the supporting cast boasts a wealth of illustrious Italian names: Isabella Ferrari, Tea Falco, Maurizio Lombardi, Martina Scrinzi, and two legends of Italian cinema, Ornella Muti and Franco Nero.
Erri De Luca: the Neapolitan writer on set (almost by accident)
Surprise of surprises: Neapolitan writer Erri De Luca is also at Cannes 2026, as an actor in the film The life of a woman (A Woman's Life) by French director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet — a film in competition for the Palme d'OrDe Luca himself says: "I can't consider myself an actor. I'm little more than an extra." He plays an elderly writer living in isolation in the mountains. His involvement came about almost by chance, from an interest in the screenplay and the desire to spend a few days on a mountain set. An authentic, unpretentious Italian story.
Laura Samani on the jury: Italy evaluates world cinema.
Perhaps the most significant presence of all is that of Laura Samani, an Italian director born in 1989, author of the award-winning Small body (David di Donatello for Best First Film 2022). Samani is a member of the jury for the Un Certain Regard section—one of the festival's most important sections, dedicated to emerging auteur cinema—presided by French actress Leïla Bekhti. Her role, along with the other jurors, will be to decide which films deserve awards in that section. This role isn't just a decorative presence, but one of genuine artistic responsibility.
Italy that counts, even without being in the competition
The absence of Italian films in competition is a fact that Italian cinema will have to reflect on. But Cannes 2026 also reminds us of another truth: Italian talent isn't measured solely by the official selections. It's measured by the faces the world recognizes and loves, by the young people making their way into top-tier international casts, by the female directors called upon to judge other people's films, by the Cinecittà studios that continue to attract prestigious European productions.
