For nearly 80 years, the has been the place where young filmmakers and actors transform from unknowns into bonafide stars. Almost overnight, some of today’s most talked-about artists—among them Adèle Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux, Xavier Dolan, and Wes Anderson—have become industry stalwarts, whose work cinephiles flock to. In short, the approval of Cannes audiences and critics means something.
In 2024, rising actors from around the globe had their first taste of fame on the Croisette. Here are eight you should be very excited about. Mark Eydelshteyn Sean Baker ( ) often casts his own films, pulling people from unlikely places into the spotlight.
The co-lead of his latest film, , has a little bit more experience, but was largely unknown in the west. The film features a magnetic as a sex worker in Brooklyn falling for one of her clients, but it’s the actor who plays said client—the scrappy and immature son of a Russian oligarch—who feels like the film’s big find. Mark Eydelshteyn, 22, has already been dubbed the for his compelling performance (and mop of curly hair).
Mia Tharia and Pascale Kann Based on Daisy Johnson’s 2020 novel , —the strange new film from Greek-French filmmaker Ariane Labed (the wife of one Yorgos Lanthimos)—is about a young girl guided by her malicious older sister. It thrives on the strength of its two leads: actors Pascale Kann (September) and Mia Tharia (July) lean into the film’s discomfiting quirks with terrifying commitment, givi.
