There are places that feel glamorous. And then there is Cannes.

But before the red carpets, the famous faces and the endless stream of luxury cars, Cannes is, first and foremost, about the films.

When the Films Became the Story

During the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, the conversation around the films was impossible to escape.

Reviews were landing almost immediately. Journalists were rushing to file their thoughts, critics were comparing notes and films that had premiered only hours earlier were suddenly being discussed across the Croisette.

Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland was one of the titles generating major conversation during the festival. We even saw the six-minute standing ovation reported on the screens outside the venue, as the reaction to the film quickly became one of the talking points around Cannes. Sandra Hüller’s performance was also singled out for praise, while the film emerged as one of the early critical favourites of the festival.

Paper Tiger, James Gray’s drama starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller, was another major talking point, attracting strong audience reactions and rave critical response.

And that is one of the things that makes Cannes so exciting.

A film can premiere in the afternoon and, within hours, become the subject of conversations everywhere — in the press rooms, hotel lobbies, along the Croisette and outside the Palais.

The standing ovations became part of the rhythm of the festival. But it wasn’t simply about how many minutes an audience applauded. It was about the feeling surrounding a film.

You could sense when something had connected.

For anyone covering film, seeing that conversation unfold in real time is something very special.

The Hollywood Dream

Arriving in Cannes during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival felt like stepping straight into a Hollywood dream.

From the moment we arrived, everything seemed to be perfectly in place. The streets were immaculate, security was highly visible, the hotels were polished to perfection and every corner of the city seemed to have been transformed for one of the biggest events in the global film calendar.

From the grand hotels lining the Croisette to the famous 24 red-carpet steps outside the Palais des Festivals, Cannes was every bit as elegant and pristine as you would imagine.

And then there were the cars.

Convoys of sleek vehicles moved through the city carrying producers, directors, actors and festival guests, while photographers, journalists and film fans gathered around the action.

There was a constant sense that someone important could be about to arrive.

It was impossible not to look around and think: this is Cannes.

Cannes Is More Than Celebrities

For all the glamour, one of the things that struck us most was how much of Cannes was about the people behind the films — and the people hoping to make them one day.

There were huge numbers of film students throughout the festival, a brilliant reminder of just how important Cannes is to the next generation of filmmakers.

They weren’t simply there to admire the red carpet. They were there to learn, connect, experience the industry and absorb as much as possible.

There was also something surprisingly human about seeing directors and producers simply walking through the streets.

Despite the huge scale of the festival and the status of the people attending, there was a genuine sense of warmth. Filmmakers, industry professionals and visitors moved through the city side by side, and many were incredibly polite and welcoming.

For an independent Irish media outlet like SpotlightTalks, there was also a real sense of being welcomed into the wider festival atmosphere. Being there gave us the opportunity to follow the industry conversation, experience the buzz first-hand and report from the heart of one of cinema’s most important events.

Bringing It Back to the Cinema

Amid all the celebrity arrivals and festival spectacle, SpotlightTalks also attended a screening through a PR agency, giving us the chance to experience another side of Cannes.

We attended a screening of Summer Drift, a film that offered a much quieter experience than the noise and excitement surrounding the Croisette.

It was a welcome reminder that behind every red carpet, every press conference and every celebrity arrival is the reason everyone is there in the first place: cinema.

The screening also became part of our own Cannes coverage, with SpotlightTalks publishing a full review of Summer Drift following the festival.

The Stars Arrive

And, of course, Cannes wouldn’t be Cannes without the stars.

During our time at the festival, we spotted some seriously recognisable faces, including John Travolta and Kristen Stewart.

Marion Cotillard was also among the stars making an appearance, posing for photographs alongside her cast.

John Travolta was one of the festival’s major talking points after receiving the Icon Award, celebrating an extraordinary career and his lasting contribution to cinema.

There were red carpets, flashbulbs, security cordons and crowds waiting for even the briefest glimpse of a familiar face.

Yet somehow, all of that still felt like only one part of the Cannes experience.

The Magic of Cannes

What Cannes ultimately showed us is that the festival is about so much more than the glamorous image we see from home.

Yes, there are the famous hotels, the designer looks, the red carpet, the 24 steps and the convoys of cars carrying some of the biggest names in cinema.

But there are also students dreaming about their future, filmmakers walking through the streets, journalists chasing the next big story, producers making connections and audiences discovering films they may still be talking about long after the festival has ended.

For a few days, the entire city becomes an extension of the film industry.

Cinema isn’t simply something happening inside a screening room. It is happening everywhere.

And perhaps that is what makes Cannes so special.

It feels like a Hollywood dream — but underneath all the glamour, it is still about people who love films, people who make them and people who are just beginning to dream about making their own.

For SpotlightTalks, being there was a chance to experience that world first-hand — and to bring a little piece of Cannes back home.