^{Credit: In Waves (Silex Films)}

Phuong Mai Nguyen’s In Waves is set to open the 65th edition of Critics’ Week at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, marking a historic first for an animated feature. Nguyen’s animation background includes the short subject, My Home (Chez Moi), which made the Oscar shortlist in 2016. My Home was shortlisted at the César Awards as well. Her feature directorial debut is an adaptation of AJ Dungo’s autobiographical graphic novel of the same name, which was published in 2019. Silex Films co-produced In Waves with Anonymous Content, France 3 Cinema, and Panique!. The film's English voice cast includes Will Sharpe and Stéphanie Hsu. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the English dub will play at Cannes along with the French version. 

The film's synopsis reads as follows: "In Los Angeles, AJ, a shy teenager, meets Kristen. She lives for surfing; he loves skateboarding and drawing. They fall madly in love, and a happy future seems within reach. But everything changes when Kristen faces a sudden illness. Together, they face adversity, driven by the strength of their love, their friends, and their newly shared passion for surfing and the ocean." Critics' Week Artistic Director Ava Cahen calls In Waves "a luminous melodrama that unfolds majestically under the pink-and-blue California sky." (via Variety).

In Waves isn't the first animated film to play at Cannes Critics' Week. The Oscar-nominated I Lost My Body premiered at Critics' Week in 2019, while Dandelion’s Odyssey closed the section in 2025. In Waves stands out, though, as the first animated film to commence Critics' Week, which occurs from May 13 to 21. The 2026 Cannes Film Festival itself lasts from May 12 to 23. In Waves won't be the only animated film you can catch at this year's Cannes. 

Last week, it was announced that Louis Clichy's Iron Boy (Le Corset) would compete in the Un Certain Regard section. Jim Queen and the Quest for Chloroqueer, from directors Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, will play during the Midnight Screenings section. Over the past couple of years, multiple animated films have gone from Cannes to the Oscars, including Arco, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Flow, the latter of which won Best Animated Feature. Between Iron Boy, Jim Queen, and now In Waves, Cannes could once again be a major prognosticator for this year's Oscar lineup. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!