The Frontières Platform, the dynamic, genre-focused industry showcase co-organised by the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Marché du Film, is set to return to Cannes on 16-17 May. Continuing its mission to spotlight daring genre cinema, and foster connections between emerging filmmakers and global partners, this year’s edition leans into a more international and stylistically diverse selection.

The line-up reflects the ever-expanding scope of genre filmmaking, moving fluidly between continents and influences. From Caribbean folklore and Japanese supernatural mythology to European psychological horror and North American indie experimentation, the projects explore identity, transformation and the unknown through bold cinematic languages.

The Proof of Concept pitching sessions (16 May) will showcase seven projects at advanced stages of financing, each supported by teaser footage aimed at attracting financiers, sales agents and producers. The following day, on 17 May, seven works in progress will be presented in the Buyers Showcase, offering distributors, festival programmers and sales agents an early look at films nearing completion.

In the Proof of Concept selection, several projects stand out for their distinct cultural perspectives and genre hybridity. From the Netherlands, Didier Konings presents Aulken, a medieval folk-horror centred on shapeshifters in a famine-stricken land, exploring fear and otherness. The UK and Jamaica come together in Ajuan Isaac-George’s Duppy, where a young girl summons a vengeful spirit, unleashing a dangerous supernatural pact. Spain’s Oan Hostench explores identity and transformation in Read the Bones, following a model who spirals into delusion and violent reinvention. Kourtney Roy’s Spiral follows a young artist’s descent into madness within the elite art world, blending satire and psychological horror. Meanwhile, Norway’s Viljar Bøe presents You’ve Been Chosen, a high-concept psychological thriller about a man drawn into a system of anonymous commands that test his obedience, free will and sense of belonging.

In the Buyers Showcase, the strong international presence continues with projects in post-production, with the sole European entry being Tracking: The Cyprus Tigers by Andreas Kyriakou, a co-production between Cyprus and Croatia. The documentary explores cross-cultural film exchanges linked to Hong Kong action cinema and the video-store era.

Here is the full line-up of projects selected for the 2026 Frontières Platform:

Proof of Concept

You’ve Been Chosen - Viljar Bøe (Norway)
Producers: Arne Dahr, Anders Fløysand

Read the Bones - Oan Hostench (Spain)
Producers: Edurne San Jose, Coque Serrano, Juan Malcom

Duppy - Ajuan Isaac-George (UK/Jamaica)
Producers: Dorottya Szekely, Aleksandra Bilic, Jamie Clark, Rob Maylor

Aulken - Didier Konings (Netherlands)
Producer: Monique van Kessel

Magai-Gami - Norihiro Niwatsukino (Japan)
Producer: Yasushi Miyamae

Baldoon - Gwynne Phillips, Briana Templeton (Canada)
Producer: Nancy Morski

Spiral - Kourtney Roy (Canada/France/Belgium)
Producer: Amber Ripley

Buyers Showcase

The Glorious Dead - John Adams, Toby Poser (USA)
Producer: Toby Poser

Grind - Peter Collins Campbell (USA)
Producer: Bethany McHugh

Queen of Malacca - Angga Dwimas Sasongko (Indonesia)
Producers: Kori Andyaning, Janice Angelica, Michael Rainheart

Astrolatry - David Gordon (USA)
Producers: David Gordon, Cole Paxton

Tracking: The Cyprus Tigers - Andreas Kyriakou (Cyprus/Croatia)
Producers: Stavros Papageorgiou, Stjepan Hundic

The Wrath - Shayne Putzlocher (Canada)
Producers: Shayne Putzlocher, Jessica Watch, Paul Cadieux, Isabelle Legault, Martin Cadieux-Rouillard