CANNES 2026 | Survival guide

IN ENGLISH

So You’re Going to Cannes. A Survival Guide for First-Timers: From Someone Who Showed Up With a Horror Film and Lived to Tell the Tale

by  Lauren Simpson

Let me paint you a picture. It’s May 2025. I’m standing in a room in the South of France wearing sequins and what can only be described as a bridal party sash, clutching a microphone, about to pitch a drag queen horror film to some of the world’s most discerning genre enthusiasts. The rosé at the after-party is ice-cold. My hands are not.

And above all else I am stressed because as Australians, we’re still collectively butchering the pronunciation of Cannes, but that’s fine. Everything is fine. I am completely calm.

Spoiler alert: I was not calm.

But here’s the thing. We were there because Skin Side Up, a project I’m producing with the brilliant Annie Thiele, had been selected for the Frontières ‘Proof of Concept’ Platform at Cannes. For context, Frontières is a showcase run by Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival and the Cannes Marché du Film, and it is the place for genre filmmakers who are ready to show the world what they’ve got. Our project is directed by Robbie Sinclair-Ten Eyck (also known as Lazy Susan, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 4), and it’s a deeply personal, visceral piece of queer horror about identity, control, and survival. It’s also one of the most exciting things I’ve ever worked on.

Over 100 projects were submitted to Frontières in 2025. We got in.

Did I panic? Absolutely.

Did I also have the time of my life? You bet.

So with Cannes 2026 just around the corner, I wanted to share what I’ve learned about navigating this beautiful, chaotic, sometimes bewildering beast of a market. Whether you’re heading there with a finished film, a half-baked idea, or just a really good pair of walking shoes and a sense of adventure, this one’s for you.

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