(from left) Team “Yellowfin” at Cannes 2026: Kyle Nieva (Producer), E del Mundo (Writer/Director), Gian Carlo Librojo (Producer), Jennielyn Abrot (Executive Producer), and Jan Pineda (Tarzeer Pictures).
The 15-minute virtual reality work by E del Mundo is listed as a world premiere in the 79th Festival de Cannes’ Immersive Competition.
MANILA — The Filipino virtual reality work “Yellowfin” has been selected for the Immersive Competition of the 79th Festival de Cannes, placing a Philippine-produced project in the festival’s section devoted to emerging forms of screen-based storytelling.
The Cannes listing identifies “Yellowfin” as a world premiere directed by E del Mundo. The 15-minute work is listed under the Philippines, with Screen Asia and Create Cinema named as production companies. Cannes also lists Eduardo Kawasan Jr. and Aly Cabral among the cast.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines included “Yellowfin” in its Cannes 2026 Philippine slate, identifying the project as an official selection in the Immersive Competition. FDCP listed Pamela Reyes, Gian Carlo Librojo and Kyle Nieva as producers and described the project as a CreatePHFilms grantee.
The Immersive Competition, now part of Cannes’ expanding platform for new audiovisual formats, features works that use virtual reality, video installation and other experience-based technologies. For 2026, Cannes said the competition includes nine works from eight countries, with presentations held from May 12 to 22 at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
“Yellowfin” joins a lineup that includes projects from the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan, among others. Cannes describes the section as a showcase for works that explore how stories are created, shared and experienced beyond conventional cinema formats.
For Philippine cinema, the selection adds another point of visibility at Cannes, where Filipino filmmakers and producers are also participating in industry programs and project platforms. Rather than a conventional theatrical premiere, “Yellowfin” enters Cannes through a category shaped by technology, spatial storytelling and audience immersion — a growing part of the global film conversation.
At a festival long associated with red-carpet premieres and auteur cinema, the inclusion of “Yellowfin” signals a broader path for Filipino creators: one that extends beyond traditional film screens and into the evolving space where cinema, technology and lived experience increasingly overlap.
