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Completed · London and Cannes · May 2026

48 hours in London.A screen in Cannes.

180 people · 45 films · 14 screened at Cinéum Cannes

Watch the films What happened
What happened

Cannes 2026.The whole story.

The 2026 programme started with a 48-hour hack in London. On Friday 8 May, 180 filmmakers, writers, artists and developers met, formed teams and heard the theme: Into the Unknown. Online teams joined from around the world.

Two tracks ran side by side. The Filmmaker Hack had to finish a short film. The Builder Hack had to ship a working tool for filmmakers. By 7pm on Sunday there were 58 submissions, and 45 finished films are now in the archive.

Sixteen judges from film, music, visual effects and the creative tools industry chose a shortlist of 14. Those films played at Cinéum Cannes on Monday 18 May during festival week, the night after our villa party with RecDek House. The jury named lilies by Muja Studios Best in Show, then the public vote opened for the audience award.

The sign-up page on LumaThe 48-hour hack in London The screening at Cinéum Cannes
  1. Friday 8 May · 6pmKick-off in London

    Doors open, the theme is revealed and teams form. Online teams join remotely.

  2. Saturday 9 to Sunday 10 MayThe 48-hour hack

    The Filmmaker Hack and the Builder Hack run side by side, with mentor sessions throughout.

  3. Sunday 10 May · 7pmSubmissions close

    58 submissions are in and the jury starts watching.

  4. Sunday 17 May · CannesThe villa party

    Finalists, judges, partners and friends meet at a private villa with RecDek House.

  5. Monday 18 May · Cinéum CannesThe screening

    The shortlist of 14 plays on the big screen during festival week and the awards are presented.

  6. After CannesThe public vote

    Every film goes online and the audience picks its favourite.

The winners

10 films took awards.

Every award from the night, with the film that won it. Press play on any of them below.

  1. Film Track 1st · Best in Show · Panalux AwardliliesMuja Studios · Muja (Jabir Mohammed)
  2. Film Track · 2nd Place · Panalux Award · Joint 3rd · Best Use of PopcornINTO THE UNKNOWN (Ancient Alien)ORANGE FILMS · Adrien Bodson
  3. Film Track · 3rd Place · Panalux Award · Joint 3rd · Best Use of Popcorn · 3rd · Best Use of MultimodalMIKA into the unknownBeat Maps Squad · Oscar Burgos
  4. Joint Winner · Best Post · Best Use of AI · Best Sound DesignSTRTLocalhost · Bharat & Hardeep
  5. Joint Winner · Best Post · Best Use of AI · Winner · Best Use of MultimodalThe Last PipTunç Akyuz
  6. Winner · Best Use of PopcornSlow LightsHussein Al Khayat
  7. 2nd · Best Use of PopcornA Door Into the DarkBook of Eli · Jacob Miguel
  8. Joint Winner · Pre-Production AwardFloor 67The 22nd Century · Philip Nwachukwu
  9. Joint Winner · Pre-Production AwardInto the UnknownIsy Imarni Creative
  10. 2nd · Best Use of MultimodalNo I Like ItTell me World · Loïc Ramboanasolo
Every film · 45

Everything we made.Press play.

Every film from Big Screen Hack Cannes 2026 that is in the archive. Each one plays here, and the title opens its own page with the team, the tools and the story behind it.

The community

213 people came.

Everyone on the guest list for Big Screen Hack Cannes 2026 has a Big Screen Hack community profile waiting. Claim yours to add your photo, your work and your links, and to see who else was in the room.

Claim my profile See the community
Builder Hack · 10 tools

What the builders shipped.

Alongside the films, developers built working tools for filmmakers in the same 48 hours.

The jury

Composer Ilan Eshkeri, director Jason Orley, visual effects supervisor Martin Davison, Alan Pao of Tunnel Post, artists and directors Guli Silberstein, Michał "OverJk" Owerczuk, Phill Turner, Aaron Bhugobaun and Miriam Pérez, and senior figures from Vercel, Google Cloud UK & Ireland, ByteDance, Runware and Wonder Studios.

Partners

Supported by Runware, ElevenLabs, Popcorn AI and Vercel, with the villa party co-hosted by RecDek House.

Winners · Hall of Fame The public vote Builder projects The villa party
CompletedLondon 2025CompletedNew York 2026NextLondon 2026
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