{"id":1934868,"date":"2026-05-14T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1934868"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:00:25","slug":"12-rising-stars-to-watch-at-the-2026-cannes-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1934868","title":{"rendered":"12 Rising Stars To Watch At The 2026 Cannes Film Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mike Coppola\/Getty Images Entertainment\/Getty Images; Aurore Marechal\/Getty Images Entertainment\/Getty Images; Stephane Cardinale – Corbis\/Corbis Entertainment\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n

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Entertainment<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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12 Rising Stars To Watch At The 2026 Cannes Film Festival<\/h1>\n
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You\u2019ll be hearing their names all awards-season long.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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by Jillian Giandurco<\/a><\/address>\n
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At this point, trying to pin down the official start of awards season is basically a fool\u2019s errand. As soon as the Academy hands out the final trophies of the year, A-listers are already making arrangements to get to Sundance<\/a> and SXSW<\/a> to promote their next project. But if there\u2019s one thing we can agree on, it\u2019s that nothing sets the tone for the upcoming awards season quite like the Cannes Film Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival<\/a> kicked off on May 12 with familiar faces like Demi Moore<\/a>, Jane Fonda<\/a>, Gillian Anderson, and Heidi Klum all ascending up the famous staircase for another year of South-of-France-glamour and unnecessarily long standing ovations. By the time the festival concludes on May 23, we\u2019ll probably have a few Best Picture frontrunners, as well as a suite of fresh new talent to keep on your radar. Being the film obsessives that we are, team NYLON has been scouring through the IMDb pages of all the films on Cannes\u2019 2026 lineup, and through this research, we managed to pick out 12 of the most promising young actors worth investing your 2026 awards season stock into. So when you start seeing these newcomers everywhere this winter, remember where you heard their names first.<\/p>\n

Havana Rose Liu<\/h2>\n
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\"LOS<\/div>\n
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Taylor Hill\/FilmMagic\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Havana Rose Liu<\/a> is having a big week: not only was she just crowned NYLON\u2019s May It Girl<\/a>, but she\u2019s also set to make her Cannes debut with her new film Her Private Hell<\/em>, a futuristic thriller that follows a young girl\u2019s journey to find her missing father. You\u2019ve probably already seen Liu in projects like Bottoms<\/em><\/a> and Oh. What. Fun<\/em>., but now that Her Private Hell<\/em> is premiering at the same time as her other new film, Tuner<\/em>, it\u2019s safe to assume the 28-year-old\u2019s breakout moment is just around the corner.<\/p>\n

Sophie Thatcher<\/h2>\n
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WWD\/WWD\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Another former NYLON It Girl who will be sharing the silver screen alongside Liu is Sophie Thatcher<\/a>. Thatcher will be toplining Her Private Hell<\/em> as Elle, after previously starring in Yellowjackets<\/em><\/a>, MaXXXine<\/em><\/a>, and Heretic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Kristine Froseth<\/h2>\n
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John Nacion\/Variety\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Whoever did the casting for Her Private Hell<\/em> should give themselves a pat on the back. Kristine Froseth<\/a> has been acting since 2016 (and even shared the Off-Broadway stage<\/a> with Liu back in 2025), but don\u2019t be surprised if (read: when<\/em>) a premiere at Cannes and a killer press tour sends the Buccaneers<\/em> star\u2019s career into the stratosphere.<\/p>\n

Aoi Yamada<\/h2>\n
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Jun Sato\/WireImage\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Rounding out the cast of Her Private Hell <\/em>is Aoi Yamada<\/a>, a 25-year-old Japanese dancer-turned-actress who previously appeared in the 2023 film Perfect Day<\/em>s, directed by Wim Wenders.<\/p>\n

Milena Smit<\/h2>\n
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29-year-old Spanish actress Milena Smit<\/a> only has seven film acting credits to her name \u2014 two of which have been directed by Pedro Almod\u00f3var<\/a>. She first worked with Almod\u00f3var on 2021\u2019s Parallel Mothers<\/em>, and now the two have teamed up again for Amarga Navidad, <\/em>or Bitter Christmas<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Guitarricadelafuente<\/h2>\n
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MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 28: \u00c1lvaro Lafuente aka Guitarricadelafuente attends the Bazaar \"Women Of Th...<\/div>\n
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You might know him as a musician, but soon you\u2019ll know Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente<\/a> as an actor, too. The 28-year-old is set to make his acting debut in the new film, La Bola Negra <\/em>(or The Black Ball<\/em>), which he\u2019ll star in alongside legends like Pen\u00e9lope Cruz and Glenn Close.<\/p>\n

Lorenzo Zurzolo<\/h2>\n
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ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 16: Lorenzo Zurzolo attends the \"Squali\" red carpet during the 23rd Alice Nell...<\/div>\n
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Maria Moratti\/Getty Images Entertainment\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Also starring in La Bola Negra <\/em>is Italian actor Lorenzo Zurzolo<\/a>. The 26-year-old has appeared in his fair share of Italian film and TV projects, but considering his new film will be competing for this year\u2019s Palme d’Or, it stands to reason that Zurzolo could become an international superstar by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n

Hugo Welzel<\/h2>\n
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Carlos Alvarez\/WireImage\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

La Bola Negra <\/em>will mark Spanish-born Hugo Welzel\u2019s<\/a> second feature film, following the release of 2025\u2019s Enemigos<\/em>. Though he was born in 2004, the internet seems to be split on his exact age \u2014 in other words, he\u2019s the textbook definition of an up-and-coming actor.<\/p>\n

Yenesi<\/h2>\n
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MADRID, SPAIN - JANUARY 27: Yenesi attends the \"Aida Y Vuelta\" photocall at Cines Callao on January ...<\/div>\n
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In case you weren\u2019t already sold on the potential starmaker that is La Bola Negra, <\/em>the film is also set to star Yenesi<\/a>, a 25-year-old non-binary Spanish singer and drag performer. Need we say more?<\/p>\n

Amanda Fix<\/h2>\n
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Jane Schoenbrun\u2019s new film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/em> stars a suite of established actors (Hannah Einbinder<\/a>, Gillian Anderson, Eva Victor, Sarah Sherman<\/a>, the list goes on), but we\u2019ve got our attention on Canadian actress Amanda Fix<\/a>. The 24-year-old starred in the Netflix horror miniseries Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen<\/em> earlier this year, which will probably pair nicely as a double feature with this slasher film.<\/p>\n

Arthur Conti<\/h2>\n
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22-year-old British actor Arthur Conti<\/a> is also set to appear in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,<\/em> after making his feature debut in the 2024 film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Quintessa Swindell<\/h2>\n
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29-year-old Quintessa Swindell<\/a> made their acting debut in 2019 on a little show named Euphoria<\/a><\/em>, and went on to star in projects like Voyagers<\/em> and Black Adam<\/em> before landing a role in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma<\/em>.<\/p>\n