April opens with the most anticipated film of the spring and closes with the year’s most unlikely sequel. In between: pure auteur cinema, 1980s nostalgia, a blockbuster biopic and a handful of festival gems. And running through it all, a date every cinephile has circled: April 9, when the official Cannes 2026 selection will be unveiled.
Films of April 2026
April 1
The Drama – Kristoffer Borgli
Emma and Charlie are the perfect couple. A week before their wedding, an unexpected confession turns everything upside down. Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself, Dream Scenario) delivers his first A24 production, carried by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. Early reactions describe a subversive, deeply uncomfortable dark comedy somewhere between Albert Brooks and Ingmar Bergman. The two will also appear together in Nolan’s The Odyssey. This first collaboration is the film to see at the start of April.
Yellow Letters – Ilker Çatak
In Ankara, Aziz, a university professor, receives a yellow letter arbitrarily revoking him for criticizing the government. His wife Derya, an actress at the national theatre, receives hers in turn. Forced to flee to Istanbul, their political convictions put their marriage to the test. Ilker Çatak, director of the Oscar-nominated The Teachers’ Lounge, confirms himself as one of the strongest voices in European cinema today. Golden Bear at the 2026 Berlinale.
Compostela – Yann Samuell
Based on a true story, Alexandra Lamy sets out on the Camino de Santiago. A luminous film for the start of spring.
April 8
The Cry of the Guards – Claire Denis
West Africa. A public works site run by two expats. One night, a man breaks in demanding the body of his brother, who died on the site. No one will give it back to him. Claire Denis adapts Bernard-Marie Koltès’s Combat de nègre et de chiens and returns to Africa thirty-seven years after Chocolat, for a fourth collaboration with Isaach de Bankolé, alongside Matt Dillon and Tom Blyth. Presented at Toronto and San Sebastián 2025. Arte France Cinéma co-production. The art film of the month.
Romería – Carla Simón
Marina, 18, adopted since childhood, must reconnect with the biological family of her father — who died of AIDS, as did her mother — to obtain a document she needs for her studies. Guided by her mother’s diary, she travels to the Spanish Atlantic coast to meet grandparents, uncles and cousins she has never seen. The director of Summer 1993 delivers a sensitive, sun-drenched film about memory and family secrets. In official competition at Cannes 2025.
One Last Round – Francesco Sossai
Italian dramatic comedy presented in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2025. The European gem of the week.
April 9 — Cannes
The official selection of the 79th Cannes Film Festival will be unveiled on April 9 at a press conference in Paris. The jury will be presided by Park Chan-wook. Eye Haïdara will host the ceremonies. Barbra Streisand will receive an honorary Palme d’Or. The festival runs May 12–23, opening with Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus électrique. John Travolta will present his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, in the Cannes Première section. Among the most anticipated competition titles: new films by James Gray, Joel Coen, Terrence Malick, Pedro Almodóvar, Cristian Mungiu and Nicolas Winding Refn.
April 15
Just an Illusion – Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache
Paris suburbs, 1985. Vincent is almost 13, caught between a distant older brother and parents in constant conflict. No longer a child, not yet an adult, wrestling with questions of identity, friendship, family and first love. With Louis Garrel, Camille Cottin and Pierre Lottin. Advance screenings have sparked enthusiastic reactions, with some placing this film immediately among the duo’s best, alongside The Intouchables and C’est la vie!. The French surprise of the month.
Bagarre – Julien Royal
Naim is a gentle, almost naive man — but physically formidable. When his dog Chipie falls seriously ill and veterinary bills pile up, he joins “Allo Bagarre”, a street-fighting service that settles disputes with fists. With Nassim Lyes, Ramzy Bedia, Audrey Lamy and Marina Foïs. High-energy Marseille action comedy.
The Mummy’s Wake – Lee Cronin
A young girl who vanished in the Egyptian desert reappears mysteriously eight years later. The reunion quickly turns to nightmare. With Jack Reynor and Laia Costa. The director of Evil Dead Rise returns with an ambitious horror film.
April 22
Drunken Noodles – Lucio Castro
New York, summer. Adnan, a young Argentine art student, spends the season in a gallery showing an older, unconventional artist he once crossed paths with. As moments from his present and past interweave, a series of encounters — artistic and erotic — open cracks in his everyday reality. Lucio Castro (End of the Century) builds a four-part non-linear narrative, hovering between realism and quiet surrealism. 82 minutes. ACID selection, Cannes 2025. The gem of the week.
Michael – Antoine Fuqua
From his beginnings with the Jackson Five to the release of Off the Wall in 1979, the biopic traces the birth of a myth — a child prodigy ground down by an industry and a family, who becomes the King of Pop regardless. Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, plays the lead in his film debut. Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine, Miles Teller as attorney John Branca. Screenplay by John Logan. The popular event of the month.
Caravan – Zuzana Kirchnerová
Ester raises her son David alone; he has an intellectual disability. This summer she dreams of carefree days with friends in Italy. But after one of David’s crises, they are banished to an old caravan at the bottom of the garden. Ester has had enough. On impulse, they hit the road. When Zuza, a young pink-haired hitchhiker, joins them, an unlikely but sincere trio forms. First film by the Czech director, Un Certain Regard Cannes 2025.
April 29
The Devil Wears Prada 2 – David Frankel
Twenty years on. Miranda Priestly must save Runway from a crisis threatening the future of print media — and to do it she needs the financing of the luxury group now run by her former assistant, Andrea Sachs. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, with Lady Gaga as a special guest. The sequel millions of viewers have been waiting two decades for.
Vivaldi and Me – Damiano Michieletto
Venice, early 18th century. Cecilia, 20, a virtuoso violinist, lives at the Ospedale della Pietà — an orphanage that trains young women in music and keeps them hidden behind grilles to perform for patrons. Marriage is her only way out, until a new music master arrives: Antonio Vivaldi. The debut film of opera director Damiano Michieletto, adapted from Tiziano Scarpa’s novel Stabat Mater, winner of the 2009 Premio Strega. With Tecla Insolia and Michele Riondino.
Series of April 2026
An exceptional month for television. The return of Euphoria after four years away, the finale of The Boys, the follow-up to Baby Reindeer, a highly anticipated French series on Prime Video — and on Arte, European fiction that holds its own against the biggest platforms.
HBO Max
Euphoria season 3 – from April 13
The most anticipated return of the year. Five years after high school, Rue, Jules, Cassie, Nate and the rest face adult life. Shot on 65mm — a first for a scripted series. Created by Sam Levinson. With Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, and guest appearances by Rosalía, Sharon Stone and Natasha Lyonne.
Half Man – from April 24
Richard Gadd, creator of Baby Reindeer, returns alongside Jamie Bell as two men bound like brothers. Their reunion at a wedding triggers an explosion of violence that propels the story back through thirty years of their turbulent relationship. Co-produced by HBO and the BBC.
Hacks season 5 – from April 9
The final season. Jean Smart plays comedian Deborah Vance for the last time, navigating the contradictions of a career at its peak and a life slipping away. One of the best comedic series of recent years.
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 – weekly episodes on Disney+
Mayor Wilson Fisk rules New York and hunts down Hell’s Kitchen’s vigilante. Matt Murdock pushes back against the Kingpin’s corrupt empire. With Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, and the return of Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones. 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. One episode every Wednesday through May 5.
Prime Video
The Boys season 5 – from April 8
The Protector owns America entirely. Hughie, Frenchie and Milk are imprisoned in a Freedom Camp. Butcher resurfaces with a virus capable of wiping out every Supe. The final season, with Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Jack Quaid. Two episodes on April 8, then one per week through the May 20 finale.
Intraçables – from April 17
French crime thriller created by Ami Cohen and Raphaël Meyer. With Sofia Essaïdi, Arcadi Radeff, Alexis Michalik and Irène Jacob. Selected in official French competition at Séries Mania 2025, before airing on TF1.
The House of the Spirits – from April 29
Adaptation of Isabel Allende’s novel. A multigenerational family saga, weaving passion, politics and magical powers through a South American country shaped by historical violence.
Netflix
Beef season 2 – April 16
Lee Sung Jin’s series returns with Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan. New tensions, new camps, the same intensity. One of the most original series of recent years picks up where it left the conversation.
Big Mistakes – April 9
Criminal comedy created by Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) and Rachel Sennott. A fresh voice in American comedy, eagerly awaited.
Stranger Things: Chronicles of 1985 – April 23
The first animated spin-off set in the Stranger Things universe, placed between seasons 2 and 3. Hawkins, winter 1985. A way to explore the margins of the original series while keeping its aesthetic and codes intact.
Arte
Etty – Thursdays May 21 and 28 on Arte, already on arte.tv
Amsterdam, 1941. Etty Hillesum, a 27-year-old Jewish student, watches the Nazi grip tighten around her. Her encounter with therapist Julius Spier, who encourages her to keep a diary, triggers a spiritual transformation. Hagai Levi, creator of In Treatment, adapts Etty Hillesum’s writings. Selected at Séries Mania 2026.
Reykjavik Fusion – streaming from April 16, broadcast April 23
Jonas, a talented chef fresh out of prison, accepts dirty money to open a gastronomic restaurant in Reykjavik and launder the investment. His parole, his life and those closest to him are on the line. With Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (True Detective). 6 episodes. Marathon broadcast on April 23 from 9:45pm.
Good People – streaming from April 23, broadcast April 30
A debt-ridden Belgian couple stage an insurance fraud. Things go sideways. From the creators of The Break (Bergmans, d’Aoust, Donck). With François Damiens, Corinne Masiero, Dominique Pinon. 6 episodes. The Belgian dark comedy of the season.
Mystery Road: Origin season 2 – streaming from April 1, broadcast April 9
The continuation of the Australian series following the origins of detective Jay Swan.
Pure – from April 10
British series created by Kirstie Swain, based on Rose Cartwright’s autobiographical novel about sexual OCD. With Charly Clive and Joe Cole. 6 episodes. Acclaimed in the UK for addressing a subject almost never explored in fiction.
3 Minutes Before the End of the World – from April 13
Short-form series available on the Arte app and social media. 10 short episodes. A native digital creation designed for new viewing habits.
Everything’s Gonna Be Okay – from April 24
Josh Thomas’s series, blending comedy and drama, with Kayla Cromer as a young autistic woman. Two seasons available simultaneously. Warm, funny and unlike anything else.
French channels
Phoenix (France 2) – April 15
French-German thriller miniseries about climate activism. Available in advance on france.tv.
Yaël
