Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard is withdrawn from the Cannes Film Festival
The veteran filmmaker withdrew his latest film from the Cannes Film Festival after it failed to secure a place in the main competition alongside other prestige titles.
Werner Herzog’s new film Bucking Fastard has been pulled from the Cannes Film Festival.
The move is said to have come after the legendary German filmmaker, 83, declined to premiere the movie outside the main competition, amid growing scrutiny around how the prestigious festival selects its highest-profile titles.
Werner had been expected to unveil the Rooney Mara and Kate Mara-led drama at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival after the project was initially included in announcements surrounding the event’s line-up.
However, a spokesperson for the film confirmed the production would no longer screen at Cannes after organisers allegedly declined to place it in competition for the Palme d’Or.
Werner, widely regarded as one of cinema’s most influential auteurs through films including Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo and documentary Grizzly Man, has remained a towering figure in international cinema while continuing to work across both fiction and documentary filmmaking.
A spokesperson for Bucking Fastard said in a statement: “Bucking Fastard was invited as an official selection at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival which the filmmakers declined.”
