Festival profile · May 2026 · 7 min read
How to submit a film to Cannes (without an agent)
Cannes has a real public submission portal. The bigger problem is the eligibility rules that disqualify most filmmakers before they upload.
The myth that you need a sales agent to submit to Cannes is half right. You do not need an agent to submit. You do need one to handle the back-and-forth with selectors if your film is shortlisted, and to walk you through the logistics of a screening on the Croisette if you get in. The submission portal itself is open to anyone, and it has been for years.
The problem most filmmakers run into is not access. It is the eligibility rules, which disqualify the majority of submissions before a programmer watches a frame.
How to submit: the portal
Submissions go through festival-cannes.com. You create a film registration, upload a secure online screener, fill out the production details, pay no submission fee (Cannes is free to submit), and submit before the deadline.
The deadline is typically late February or early March for the May festival. The portal opens in early January. Festival dates land in mid-May every year.
The four eligibility rules that disqualify most films
- Production window. The film must have been produced within the 12 months prior to the festival. Films older than that are not eligible.
- Distribution. For Official Selection, distribution must be limited to the film's country of origin. Internet release, DVD release, or distribution outside the country of origin can make the film ineligible (no internet screening of the film is allowed). One Competition-specific point is the real teeth behind the “Netflix problem”: a film In Competition must have a French theatrical release under the chronologie des medias, the French theatrical-window rules, which is why streaming-first titles tend to launch at Venice instead. Confirm the current preselection conditions before assuming your distribution plan is fine.
- International festival history. Cannes says a film becomes ineligible if it has been selected for an international section, competitive or not, of another festival. This is more precise than a blanket "world premiere" rule: check the official preselection conditions before assuming a domestic screening is fatal.
- Subtitles. Cannes accepts preselection films without subtitles if the original language is French or English. Other original languages need French or English subtitles.
The sections, briefly
- Official Selection (Competition): roughly 20 features competing for the Palme d'Or, though the exact count varies year to year. Selected by the Festival's artistic team. Submitted via the official portal.
- Un Certain Regard: around 18 to 20 features, often newer voices and bolder formal choices, with the slate size set each year. Same portal.
- La Cinef: short and medium-length films from film schools. Separate submission window.
- Short Films in Competition: a small selection of shorts, usually under a dozen. Submitted via the same portal.
- Director's Fortnight (Quinzaine): independent of the official festival, runs in parallel. Separate submission via quinzaine-realisateurs.com. Some of the strongest indie work plays here.
- Critics' Week (Semaine): also independent, focused on first and second features. Separate submission via semainedelacritique.com.
- Marché du Film: the market, not the festival. Anyone who pays the badge fee can buy access. This is where sales agents and distributors meet. The Short Film Corner inside the Marché is a market entry, not Official Selection. Do not confuse them.
If your film does not fit Cannes, do not submit
Cannes has a specific aesthetic. It rewards formal ambition, auteur cinema, work with a clear point of view, often slow, often political, often non-English-language. A festival crowd-pleaser with broad commercial appeal is more likely to land at Toronto or Sundance.
Read the last three years of the Official Selection and Director's Fortnight before submitting. If you cannot point to films in those programmes that look anything like yours, the £0 submission fee is the only cheap part of submitting.
If you get in
Cannes acceptance is the moment to bring in experienced sales, publicity, and delivery help if you do not already have it. The festival will require professional screening materials, formal subtitle delivery where applicable, premiere arrangements, and a press strategy. The infrastructure to handle this professionally costs money, and Cannes is not the festival to wing it at.
Frequently asked questions
Can you submit a film to Cannes without a sales agent?
Yes. The Cannes submission portal is open to anyone and has been for years, so you do not need an agent to submit. An agent becomes useful later, to handle the back-and-forth with selectors if your film is shortlisted and to manage the logistics of a screening if you get in. The bigger hurdle is not access but the eligibility rules.
How do you submit a film to Cannes?
Submissions go through festival-cannes.com. You create a film registration, upload a secure online screener, fill out the production details, and submit before the deadline. The Director’s Fortnight and Critics’ Week run their own separate submissions via quinzaine-realisateurs.com and semainedelacritique.com.
Is there a submission fee for Cannes?
No. Cannes is free to submit, so there is no submission fee through the official portal. The cost comes later if your film is selected, when you need professional screening materials, subtitle delivery, premiere arrangements, and publicity.
What is the deadline to submit to Cannes?
The deadline is typically late February or early March for the May festival, and the portal opens in early January. Festival dates land in mid-May every year. Confirm the exact current dates on the official site before you plan around them.
What are the eligibility rules for Cannes?
Four rules disqualify most films. The film must have been produced within the 12 months prior to the festival, distribution for Official Selection must be limited to the country of origin with no internet screening, the film must not have been selected for an international section of another festival, and films in a language other than French or English need French or English subtitles. Check the official preselection conditions before assuming your situation is fine.
Why do streaming films premiere at Venice instead of Cannes?
A film in Competition at Cannes must have a French theatrical release under the chronologie des medias, the French theatrical-window rules. That requirement is the real teeth behind the so-called Netflix problem, which is why streaming-first titles tend to launch at Venice instead.
Live festival profile
Cannes Critics' Week: deadline, fees and premiere rulesSee the current submission deadline, entry fee, premiere requirement and awards qualification for Cannes Critics' Week.
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