Inside Cannes Opening Night: Guillermo Del Toro, Oscar Intrigue, and Distributor Buzz

Cannes opening day was packed, from a rousing screening of Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning classic “Pan’s Labyrinth” with his amigo Alfonso Cuarón on hand, to Pierre Salvadori’s French carnival divertisement “The Electric Kiss,” the opening ceremony film that makes del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” look like a masterpiece. One reason French movies often open the festival is that the distributor not only helps to pay for the opening night party but also has to release widely in France the same day.

Per tradition, the opening gala introduced the competition jury, who had participated in a livelier-than-usual afternoon press conference, and awarded an honorary Palme d’Or. Azure-eyed Elijah Wood presented the award to his “The Lord of the Rings” auteur, New Zealand’s Sir Peter Jackson, who was delighted to point out that in the two decades since Wood starred in his trilogy, he had finally managed to grow some facial hair. Jackson made sure to thank his writing and producing (and life) partner Fran Walsh and co-writer Philippa Boyens.

“A warm welcome to our guests from all over the planet,” said Cannes president Iris Knobloch at the Palm Beach gala dinner. “Tonight, everything begins: 12 days, 75 films, 54 countries, the start of a shared journey. Over the coming days, we will not hide from the world. We will enter into it more deeply through stories, through faces, and through images that will stay with us long after the lights go back on. Some films will move us gently. Others will head at us straight on. That is cinema. Cinema does not shield us [from] the world. It helps us navigate it.”

At the dinner, Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux told me that ever since the 2026 Berlinale, politics has become a festival “theme.” Stellan Skarsgård complimented fellow juror Demi Moore on handling a range of challenging questions well, while Moore told him his answers were the shortest and funniest. Del Toro continued to field throngs of well-wishers, along with fellow Mexican Diego Luna, who directed the Spanish-language “Ashes,” which premieres on Wednesday.

The changing Academy rules on international features remained a subject of debate; one Academy insider said the rules will continue to evolve. Needless to say, if an English-language movie wins a prize at one of the designated festivals (including Cannes), it will not be eligible for the International Feature category. But if a foreign-language movie wins the Palme d’Or, its country of origin can also nominate a different film. Thus, both Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Taste of Things” would have competed for France.

Several American distributors worked the room, including the Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard and executive Dylan Leiner, who will show Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas’ in competition.

Warners’ new Clockwork chief Christian Parkes was on hand, proud to reveal a new 4K restoration of the full-length “The Devils.” Ken Russell’s brutally intense movie received X-ratings, trims, and limited release its first time out in 1971 in the US. and the U.K. There will be more classic titles to come. “Anora” producer Alex Coco is producing Sean Baker’s next, “Ti Amo!,” Clockwork’s first major acquisition, which Parkes described as the kind of indie film Clockwork wants to make.

Coco was also accompanying Jordan Firstman, the rookie writer/director of “Club Kid.” The acquisition title about a drug-addled gay party promoter who discovers he fathered a kid one hazy night, is already building buzz after early pre-festival screenings. Neon acquisitions chief Jeff Deutchman greeted the young director at the entrance to the party. Not that Neon needs any more pick-ups, but when opportunity knocks, they’re ready to open the door.

Another hot producer with taste is Plan B’s Jeremy Kleiner, who admired Jane Schoenbrun’s script for “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” which is playing in Un Certain Regard, and jumped on board the low-budget follow-up to their breakout “I Saw the TV Glow. ” This one stars Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder.

And while ex-IndieWire editor/critic Eric Kohn is now an exhibitor in Southampton, he is also consulting on multiple projects, including the Cannes documentary entry “Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean.” He and a gang of revelers leaned over the railing to pose for a party photo. Let the seances begin!