Canneseries has lifted the veil on the programme for its upcoming ninth edition (23-28 April), once again assembling a wide-ranging and international selection that reflects the vitality and transformation of contemporary serial storytelling. Despite ongoing economic challenges affecting producers worldwide, the festival maintains a strong curatorial vision, with more than 300 series submitted from 41 countries and a final selection representing 17 territories. Across its various strands, the line-up comprises 26 world, 11 international and two French premieres as well as three special previews.

The upcoming event will also host a significant number of high-profile guests from across the global industry, spanning creators, actors and producers, alongside a robust industry programme that interrogates current trends, from AI-assisted creativity to the rise of vertical storytelling formats and the evolving dynamics of sports documentaries. This year’s honorary accolades include the Canal+ Icon Award, bestowed upon Adam Scott; the Madame Figaro Rising Star Award, presented to Jisoo; and the Prix Konbini de l’Engagement, which goes to Richard Gadd.

The main competition gathers eight series, combining world and international premieres. World premieres include Alice and Steve (UK) by Sophie Goodhart, Harvest (Denmark) by Martin Zandvliet, Many People Need to Die (Spain) by Victoria Martín, Summer of 1985 (Sweden) by Björn Stein, and The Red and the Black (Iran) by Ida Panahandeh. International premieres in this section are Guts (Finland/Slovenia) by Jemina Jokisalo, I Always Sometimes (Spain) by Marta Bassols and Marta Loza, and Snake Killer (Denmark) by Anders Ølholm.

The documentary strand reflects the growing importance of non-fiction storytelling within the serial format. Titles include A Woman Was Killed. (Belgium) by Nahid Shaikh and Phara de Aguirre (international premiere) and Colonna, A Corsican Tragedy (France) by Ariane Chemin and Agnès Pizzini (world premiere), alongside a wide array of projects exploring crime, politics, sport and contemporary society, such as The Deal With Iran (Belgium) by Lennart Stuyck and Maarten Stuyck, Cruyff (UK/Netherlands) by Sam Blair, and The Oligarch and the Art Dealer (Denmark/France/USA/Switzerland/Netherlands) by Andreas Dalsgaard.

The short-form competition highlights emerging voices and innovative formats. World premieres include Avant qu’on m’oublie (Canada) by Olivier Aubé, Ina (Australia) by Rachel Maxine Anderson, Paradoxes (France/Greece) by Maxime Donzel, Émilie Valentin and Pierre Zandrowicz, and Sheep (Austria/Germany) by Alex Reinberg and Leni Gruber. Screening as international premieres are Boho (Belgium) by Abbie Boutkabout, and Sneakermania (Finland) by Vilja Keskimäki, Jani Airiainen and Aleksi Aro-Heinilä.

The non-competitive section presents a diverse slate of high-profile productions. Among them is Half Man (UK), created by Richard Gadd, screening as a French premiere, alongside Paris Police 1910 (France) by Fabien Nury, debuting as a world premiere. Other highlights include Prisoner (UK), created by Matt Charman, Star City (USA) by Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert and Ronald D Moore, and The Terror: Devil in Silver (USA), created by Chris Cantwell and Victor LaValle. The section also features California Avenue (UK), created by Hugo Blick, continuing the strand’s emphasis on auteur-driven, high-end productions.

Canneseries’ industry strand remains a cornerstone of the event, bringing together writers, producers, distributors and executives to discuss the future of the medium. This year’s programme includes high-level conversations with leading figures such as Noah Hawley, Lesli Linka Glatter, Anna Winger and Ron Leshem.

Panels and discussions tackle a broad spectrum of topics. These include the ethics and authorship of sports documentary series in “All Access Sport”, the growing influence of branded content in television financing, and the emergence of vertical storytelling formats tailored for mobile platforms. Other sessions explore geopolitical storytelling through initiatives such as “POV: Europe on Ukraine”, while workshops like “Rewriting the Future: Climate, Big Tech and Power” examine the intersection of narrative, technology and environmental change. The role of artificial intelligence in audiovisual creation will also be addressed, reflecting an industry increasingly shaped by technological innovation.