Festivals - Cannes 2026: The Beloved Brings Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo Together on the Red Carpet of the Official Competition

By Mulder, Cannes, Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 16 may 2026

On May 16, 2026, the film El Ser Querido (also known as L’être aimé in France and The Beloved internationally)  was unveiled in the Official Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival during its world premiere at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes. Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen and co-written with his regular collaborator Isabel Peña, the feature film was among the most anticipated Spanish works of this 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, notably thanks to the presence of Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo in the lead roles. On the red carpet, the film’s cast included Raúl Arévalo, Eduardo Villanueva, Victoria Luengo, Javier Bardem, Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Marina Foïs, Mourad Ouani, and Raúl Prieto, underscoring the production’s commitment to this Cannes world premiere.

Presented in competition for the Palme d’Or, El Ser Querido marks a new collaboration between Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabel Peña, a renowned duo in contemporary Spanish cinema following films such as As Bestas and Madre. The project was officially announced by Movistar Plus+ in January 2024 during a presentation held at the Palacio de Santa Bárbara in Madrid, though no casting details or detailed synopsis were revealed at the time. On that occasion, Rodrigo Sorogoyen simply explained that he wanted to step out of his “comfort zone” with this new project. A few months later, in September 2024, Javier Bardem himself confirmed his participation in the film while receiving his Donostia Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Victoria Luengo was also announced as the project’s lead co-star.

The film tells the story of the relationship between Esteban Martínez, a world-renowned director, and his daughter Emilia, an actress with whom he has had no contact for thirteen years. When the filmmaker returns to Spain to shoot a new feature film and offers his daughter the lead role, their reunion brings past wounds to the surface. According to the official synopsis provided in the production notes, the story revolves around the filming of a fictional movie titled Desierto, set in the Western Sahara of the 1930s, while a film crew works on the island of Fuerteventura. The film explores family tensions, the relationship between artistic creation and human relationships, as well as the emotional consequences of prolonged family estrangement.

Production on the film began in February 2025 and took place primarily in Fuerteventura and Madrid. Director of photography Álex de Pablo handled the cinematography for the feature film, while editing was entrusted to Alberto del Campo and the music to Olivier Arson. Among the details confirmed by the production team is that the first eighteen minutes of the film were shot in a single take on the very first day of filming. This scene depicts the first meeting between the characters played by Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo in a Madrid restaurant. According to information released about the project, the two actors had not rehearsed together beforehand in order to more naturally convey the emotional distance between their characters after thirteen years without contact.

As the project developed, several other cast members were announced, including Raúl Arévalo, Marina Foïs, Mourad Ouani, Raúl Prieto, Melina Matthews, Núria Prims, Pablo Gómez Pando, and Malena Villa. During a presentation organized by Movistar Plus+ in January 2025, Rodrigo Sorogoyen also humorously recounted that Javier Bardem, who plays a director in the film, would sometimes offer staging suggestions during rehearsals that even he himself hadn’t thought of. This anecdote helped fuel curiosity about the project even before filming officially began.

El Ser Querido is a Spanish-French co-production led by Movistar Plus+, Caballo Films, El Ser Querido AIE, and Le Pacte, in partnership with Canal+ and with support from the ICAA, Creative Europe Media, the ICEC, and the Madrid regional government. International sales are handled by Goodfellas. In France, the film is distributed by Le Pacte, which has chosen to release the feature film in theaters on May 16, 2026—the same day as its official screening in Cannes. The Spanish release is scheduled for August 26, 2026, by A Contracorriente Films, while Movistar Plus+ will subsequently stream the film following its theatrical run in Spain.

During the red carpet arrival at Cannes, the joint appearance of Javier Bardem, Victoria Luengo, and Rodrigo Sorogoyen drew significant media attention on the Croisette, with numerous photographers and international media outlets gathering in front of the red carpet as soon as the film crew arrived. Images from this world premiere quickly circulated in the trade press and on the festival’s social media, confirming the interest generated by this new project from Rodrigo Sorogoyen in the 2026 Official Competition.

You can discover our photos in our Flickr page

Synopsis :
World-renowned director Esteban Martínez returns to Spain to shoot his new film. He offers the lead role to a young, unknown actress—his daughter—whom he hasn’t seen in thirteen years. The young woman accepts this incredible opportunity, but knows that during the shoot, she will have to face a man she has never been able to see as a father. The weight of the past threatens to reopen their wounds.

The Beloved (El ser querido)
Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Written by Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Produced by Nacho Lavilla, Eduardo Villanueva
Starring  Javier Bardem, Victoria Luengo
Cinematography : Álex de Pablo
Edited by Alberto del Campo
Music by Olivier Arson
Production companies : Caballo Films, Movistar Plus+, El Ser Querido AIE, Le Pacte
Distributed by Le Pacte (France)
Release dates : 16 May 2026 (Cannes), 16 May 2026 (France)
Running time : 135 minutes

Photos : @fannyrlphotography