The Marché du Film, the industry-leading and prestigious market in Cannes, is stepping up its forward-thinking efforts as it prepares to distribute its 2026 edition between May 12th and 20th in France’s bustling city. The market, which recently announced its first Creator Economy Summit, has also confirmed that it will be reviving last year’s AI for Talent Summit and hosting a dedicated event on innovation and immersives.
Cinando is a leading networking and database platform launched by Marche in 2003 and relaunched this year with “smarter tools and enhanced features.” In the next edition, the marketplace’s online platform will be completely migrated to the new Cinando. The new online platform, renamed Marché du Film by Cinando, “brings together online screenings, live and catch-up conference video, and networking tools within a single unified marketplace environment, providing a seamless and intuitive experience for distributors, buyers, and professionals around the world.”
All of these efforts reflect Marché’s desire to “show how emerging technologies and bold storytelling approaches are reshaping practices of creation, production, and distribution.” These are also seen as a way to maximize industry connections and networking, both on the ground and within the virtual services of the market.
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“We advocate innovation that benefits both artistic creativity and the growth of the industry as a whole,” said Guillaume Esmior, Cannes Market Executive Director. “At Marche, we are dedicated to supporting and driving innovation, from technological advancements that continually reimagine the way films are conceived, produced and distributed, to broader thinking that reimagines business models, partnerships and relationships.”
The previously announced first Creator Economy Summit will explore “opportunities at the intersection of traditional film and the creator economy.” The event leverages extensive efforts by the entire Cannes ecosystem to engage in dialogue with the creator industry, with TikTok becoming the first digital media app to join as a festival sponsor in 2022. The summit will present a “comprehensive overview of how the two worlds connect, from adapting digital IP to film projects and scouting new talent to attracting audiences and exploring innovative marketing strategies that drive communities to theaters.”
The AI for Talent Summit is back as an “enhanced version” and will be held over two mornings on May 15th and 16th, and will be an invite-only event for top film and technology executives. The summit will bring these two worlds together to “explore the latest real-world applications of AI in creative and business processes,” focusing on three key themes: integrating AI into production workflows, ethical and responsible use of AI, and education. A “high-level” speaker lineup will also be announced soon.
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Another second initiative, Village Innovation, returns as the main hub of Cannes Next, Marche’s innovation-focused program. The venue will also offer office space and a curated conference program, as well as hands-on virtual production demonstrations on the VP stage, the largest ever presented at the film market. Immersive Market will also expand to the Carlton Hotel this year, introducing new demo spaces. The festival will run alongside the festival’s Immersive Competition, which will introduce the first competition of its kind in 2026. This competition is specifically designed for a shared audience experience in a new space that can host up to 225 participants at the same time.
Immersive Market will also use the new space to present live demos from 150 immersive producers and catalog owners to 90 leading distributors and curators. The newly enhanced Immersive Market aims to become “the most efficient platform for location-based immersive distribution, featuring high-impact pitching sessions, curated networking events, and tangible business opportunities.”
Marché du Film 2026 will be held from May 12th to 20th, and Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 12th to 23rd.
