Villa Albertine at the 2026 Cannes Festival: Two Former Residents Selected and an AI and New Media Panel

This year, two former Villa Albertine residents return to the Cannes spotlight with major selections across immersive and animated cinema.

Ugo Arsac – Katabasis (Immersive Competition)

2023 Villa Albertine resident Ugo Arsac presents Katabasis, selected for the Immersive Competition of the 79th Festival de Cannes.

Katabasis is a dizzying descent into the unseen, to the realm inhabited by those we never see: the homeless, those who labour in the shadows, poets of the abyss, dreamers. Ugo Arsac captures their voices – raw, intimate, deeply moving – caught between flight, freedom, and the search for identity. An immersive journey that blends documentary and urban poetry.

Arsac’s residency in the United States supported a period of research at the intersection of cinema and emerging technologies, which directly informs this new project.

Directed by Ugo Arsac and produced by Zorba, the work continues his exploration of immersive storytelling and hybrid cinematic forms.

Produced in 2024 by Zorba Production

Phuong Mai Nguyen – In Waves (Critics’ Week Opening Film)

2023 Villa Albertine resident Phuong Mai Nguyen will open the 65th edition of Cannes Critics’ Week with In Waves, an animated adaptation of AJ Dungo’s acclaimed graphic novel.

In In Waves, AJ, a shy teenag­er, meets Kris­ten while in high school in Los Ange­les. Kris­ten is pas­sion­ate about surf­ing… and she’s the most beau­ti­ful per­son he’s ever met. He falls mad­ly in love with her. As life seems to final­ly come togeth­er for AJ, Kristen’s life starts falling apart, shat­tered by ill­ness. Togeth­er, they will fight adver­si­ty with dig­ni­ty and enjoy their now-shared pas­sion for surf­ing and for the ocean, but also their loy­al band of friends… even when they know Kris­ten is doomed. This is what hap­pens when love and friend­ship become a wave stronger than anything else.

For the first time in the section’s history, an animated feature will open Critics’ Week (May 13–21). In Waves is among the 11 titles selected this year, marking a significant milestone for animation within this section of the Festival de Cannes.

Cannes 2026: Immersive Talk on Artist Residencies, Cinema, and New Imaginaries

Villa Albertine will also take part in the Cannes Immersive Talks program with a panel dedicated to the evolving relationship between artistic creation, cinema, and artificial intelligence.

Immersive Talk | Creating in the Age of AI: Artist Residencies, Cinema, and New Imaginaries

Immersive Conference Room (Carlton Hotel Lobby -3), Cannes, France
May 18, 2026
4:15 PM – 5 PM (local time)

At a time when emerging technologies are reshaping artistic practices, artist residencies are becoming essential spaces for experimentation, research, and creation. This discussion will explore how Villa Albertine’s residency program supports transformations in cinema and new media, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence.

Through the intersecting journeys of three Villa Albertine residents, including participants in the Arts in the Age of AI program, the panel will highlight new forms of storytelling as well as continuities with more traditional cinematic approaches.

Speakers
Ugo Arsac – Digital and visual artist, Villa Albertine resident (New York, 2023)
Lou Fauroux – Artist and filmmaker, Villa Albertine resident (Los Angeles, 2026)
Héraclès Papatheodorou – Design technologist, digital maker, and licensed architect-engineer, based in Athens, Greece

Moderator
Charlotte Deflassieux Viguier – Director, Film, TV & New Media Department, Villa Albertine

The talk is open to all Marché du Film badge holders, on a first-come, first-served basis.