2026 Cannes Film Festival to Feature Two FMS-Funded Productions in Its Program

Lumière, Cinéma, Rendezvous. When the international film world gathers in Cannes, the Croisette will once again take center stage from May 12–23. Among the highlights: two productions funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW that have been invited to the official program and will both celebrate their world premieres on Wednesday, May 20.

The international co-production “Elephants in the Fog” by Abinash Bikram Shah has been invited to the Un Certain Regard section and is also nominated for the Caméra d’Or, which honors the festival’s best debut feature. The film was produced by zischlermann filmproduktion as a German-majority co-production with Die Gesellschaft DGS, Les Valseurs, and Anup Poudel, with broadcast participation from ZDF/Arte. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW provided 60,000 euros in funding for the project. Best Friend Forever (BFF) is handling worldwide distribution.

“Elephants in the Fog” centers on Pirati, the matriarch of a community of transgender women in a remote Nepalese village surrounded by forests teeming with wild elephants. Caught between her desire for a self-determined life and her responsibility for her community, she faces an inner conflict when one of her “daughters” disappears. The 95-minute film marks the feature-length debut of Abinash Bikram Shah, whose work has already garnered international attention.

Cologne-based DGS previously participated in the multi-award-winning co-production “Goodbye, Julia,” which was honored with the Peace Prize at Cannes and was submitted by Sudan for consideration for an Oscar. With “Elephants in the Fog,” they are now supporting the debut of the Nepalese director, a graduate of the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Berlinale Talents, and the Asian Film Academy.

“Titanic Ocean” by Konstantina Kotzamani willalso be screened in the Un Certain Regard section.

“Titanic Ocean” centers on the dazzling teenage world of a unique boarding school that trains girls to become professional mermaids. The debut by writer and director Konstantina Kotzamani shows how 17-year-old Akame (Arisa Sasaki) finds her siren’s voice, discovers her first love, and undergoes a metamorphosis. The international project was produced in Japan and co-producedon the German side by Cologne-based Wunderlust .

World sales are handled by Paradise City Sales. The production received 200,000 euros in funding from the Filmstiftung.

The Film and Media Foundation NRW in Cannes

The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW will once again be represented this year at the German Pavilion within the Cannes Film Market (Marché du Film), at the joint booth of Focus Germany—the consortium of the nine largest German film funding agencies—and German Films. The German Pavilion, which is celebrating its 25th anniversarythis year , serves as a bustling meeting place and hub for accredited visitors from theGerman and international film industries during the festival. Hours of operation are from Tuesday, May 12, through Thursday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.