Adelaide Film Festival selects five projects for 2026 'Adelaide Goes to Cannes'
The Adelaide Film Festival has named five projects for its 2026 “Adelaide Goes to Cannes” slate, with the teams set to attend the Marché du Film in Cannes from 15 to 18 May 2026. Now in its third year, the program is designed to showcase bold, independent Australian films at the world’s most influential film market.
“This year’s lineup spans continents and themes – from geopolitical conflict and exploitation in Polina and Death of a Shaman, to intimate explorations of relationships and grief in Wilderness, River and Tiber. Each project is marked by ambition, craft and a distinct cinematic voice,” said Mat Kesting, the festival’s CEO and creative director.
He added that “Adelaide Goes to Cannes,” alongside other international festival “bridges” such as a partnership with JAFF in Indonesia, helps connect Australian filmmakers to the global marketplace and build partnerships with international colleagues and distributors, with significant success already achieved by films that engaged with these programs.
The five projects selected are: Dan Jackson (director) with the feature documentary Death of a Shaman; Michael Wrenn (producer) with the feature documentary Polina; Dominic Allen (director) with the feature film Tiber; Mat Govoni (producer) with the feature film Wilderness; and Zane Borg (director) with the feature film River.
Death of a Shaman, produced and directed by Dan Jackson, explores where ancient wisdom meets modern revolution as a shaman’s family rise against IMF-backed oil forces, catalysing an Indigenous uprising that seeks to oust the Ecuadorian President.
Polina, directed by Agnes Burrell, follows a 10-year-old Ukrainian girl whose village near Kyiv is destroyed in 2022; her family is forced to beside the remains of their home as war becomes the setting of her adolescence. In Tiber, directed by Dominic Allen, art historian Marco loses his job in Rome and returns to Tuscany, setting out with his young daughter, Lucia, toward the River Tiber.
Their journey through an Italian summer shaped by art, history and memory draws him toward a reckoning with long-contained loss. Wilderness, directed by Martin McKenna, centres on Allie, whose poor choices unshackle her from life as a doctor, mother and wife.
A trek into the Victorian high country with former school friend Kaz spirals into conflict, danger and near disaster, forcing Allie to confront her life and discover the power of listening. River, directed by Zane Borg, follows 16-year-old River as she struggles to navigate a teenage existence reshaped by grief after her mother’s death.
She finds solace in an unlikely friendship with Marcus, a troubled teen; together, they steal a car and drive to South Australia in search of Marcus’ estranged mother.
South Australia’s Minister for the Arts, Kyam Maher, congratulated the selected teams, saying he was thrilled to see the festival continue to help Australian stories reach international audiences at the Marché du Film, Cannes Film Festival, which he described as the world’s largest film market.
The selected filmmakers and producers will head to Cannes in May as the festival builds on its third year of industry “bridge” programs intended to connect Australian work with buyers, distributors and international collaborators.