The Cannes Film Festival has always loved glamour, but this year the Croisette has also become a stage for Latino and Spanish-language stars making noise with their films, their fashion, and, in Javier Bardem's case, statements sharp enough to cut through the flashbulbs.
From Bardem's fiery remarks on toxic masculinity and Gaza to Diego Luna's return as director with Ceniza en la boca (Ashes), Latino presence at the 79th edition of Cannes has been impossible to ignore. Add Salma Hayek in a sculptural Gucci feathered gown and Adriana Paz carrying Mexican cinema back onto the festival stage. Diego Calva showing up for a major Cannes year, Georgina Rodriguez debuting a dramatic blonde transformation, and Colman Domingo delivering another master class in red carpet confidence, Cannes 2026 has turned into one of the strongest Latino and Latin-adjacent showcases in recent memory.
Bardem, in competition with Rodrigo Sorogoyen's 'The Beloved,' used the Cannes Film Festival not only to promote the film but also to speak about the politics of masculinity. The Spanish Oscar winner criticized the aggressive male behavior portrayed in the film and connected it to political power, saying that form of masculinity is damaging and outdated. He also spoke again about Gaza, telling outlets that speaking publicly about the war had not cost him work in Hollywood and that the industry's attitude appeared to be shifting.
Bardem on Gaza and masculinity
"With respect to the genocide in Gaza, I feel the world of cinema is changing. More people are calling me every day to support me, even to work. I have heard about the blacklist, although I have not noticed it."
"There may not be more people speaking publicly, but they are recognizing themselves in the refusal to remain silent before this crime. And that has to do with the new generations who have said this is inadmissible."
"The idea of this masculinity that is aggressive, that it has to be also showcasing his power over others, that's something that resonates with me, because that's the generation that I grew up with."
"And it's wrong. And the fact that in this movie we're talking about it ... tells us that there's more awareness about it, as something that we have to denounce, we have to put it away."
Luna brought a different kind of statement with Ceniza en la boca (Ashes), his new Mexican-Spanish co-production. The Cannes festival described the film as starring Anna Diaz, Adriana Paz, and Laura Gomez and positioned it as part of Luna's evolution as a director. The Hollywood Reporter described the drama as the story of a young Mexican woman trying to build a better future in Spain, giving the festival one of its clearest migration-centered Latino stories this year.
The film also gave Adriana Paz another Cannes moment after her historic 2024 win as part of the ensemble of Emilia Perez. 'Ashes' received a standing ovation at Cannes, with Paz thanking Luna for bringing her back to the festival. On the fashion side, Paz also used the red carpet to spotlight Latin American design, wearing agown by Neithan Herbert, according to No Manners Magazine.
"The story is indeed specific to a context: it's the story of a Mexican migration, which is not the usual one, because typically, people migrate north to the United States," explained Luna."I believe in making stories specific in order to ensure their universality, and what seems clear is that the only certainty we all share is that the complexity of migration, and the phenomenon of migration, is only going to escalate."
"For me, the film seeks to do just that: to hold a mirror up to those who receive [migrants], and I hope it makes viewers ask themselves: who am I when I receive?," he added. "I believe cinema is, by definition, political; there's no way around it."
Gael García Bernal, Luna's longtime creative partner and one of Mexico's most recognizable international actors, was also part of the Cannes conversation around Luna's return. Social posts from the festival circuit showed Garcia Bernal supporting Luna during the 'Ashes' rollout, adding another layer to a friendship and artistic partnership that has helped define Mexican cinema on the world stage for more than two decades.
Salma returns as the Queen of Cannes
Salma Hayek, meanwhile, reminded Cannes why she remains one of the festival's most reliable style forces. At the Kering Women in Motion Awards, which she co-hosted with her husband, Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault, Hayek wore a white feathered Gucci gown by Demna, paired with emerald and diamond jewelry, according to Harper's Bazaar and InStyle. The event honored women shaping cinema, with Julianne Moore recognized this year for her advocacy and career.
Georgina Rodriguez also turned Cannes into a beauty headline, debuting a platinum blonde look at the same Kering Women in Motion event. Getty Images listed Rodriguez among attendees at the May 17 gala, while fashion outlets noted the dramatic hair change and her bold red carpet styling.
Diego Calva, who became an international breakout after Babylon, had his own strong Cannes footprint.The Mexican actor has two films connected to Cannes this year, 'Club Kid' by Jordan Firstman and 'Her Private Hell' by Nicolas Winding Refn.
"Why should my characters not have my accent? If they can't take off my face, why would they take off my Mexican accent?" Calva said to the media in Cannes. "I can practice so that they understand me better in English, but not erase my Mexican accent."
"My mom sent me an article where it said the last Mexican actor to have two films simultaneously at the festival was the master Gael García Bernal," Calva added and said that "even my grandmother knows what the Cannes Film Festival is!"
"If Almodóvar shakes my hand, I can die in peace," Calva said. "I'm going to try to look as handsome as possible and make eyes at him all night long."
Colman Domingo, whose work and red carpet style have made him one of Hollywood's most watched actors, broke the internet with his look at the Salma Hayek gala, and the premiere of his movie 'Garance.'
Another name added to Cannes' Latino map was David Flores, the American actor who appears in 'I'll Be Gone in June,' where he plays Elliott, a character the director discovered after a long casting process involving nonprofessional young actors in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
More Latinos in Cannes
As of May 18, several major Latino and Spanish-linked projects were still set to make noise during the second half of Cannes 2026. Among them were Pedro Almodóvar's 'Bitter Christmas' (Amarga Navidad) and 'The Black Ball' (La bola negra) from Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, both part of the official competition lineup.
Also still ahead was 'Diamond,' directed by Andy García and featuring Demián Bichir, screening out of competition. In the short film categories, Argentine filmmaker Federico Luis' 'For the Challengers' (Para los contrincantes) and Colombian director Theo Montoya's 'Thunder Platoon' (Pelotón trueno) were also still on the schedule.
