The Abandonment, a drama from Vincent Garenq co-written with Alexis Kebbas, has been selected Out of Competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2026. Led by Antoine Reinartz in the role of Samuel Paty and featuring Emmanuelle Bercot, the film traces the eleven days that preceded the murder of the history teacher on October 16, 2020, as he was leaving his middle school.
The Abandonment
Film | 2026
Release in cinemas: May 13, 2026
Drama | Duration: not disclosed
By Vincent Garenq | Screenplay: Vincent Garenq, Alexis Kebbas | Starring Antoine Reinartz, Emmanuelle Bercot, Nedjim Bouizzoul
Nationality: France
Out of Competition – Cannes Film Festival 2026
Drawing on the material revealed in investigations and trials related to the case, the film traces, in chronological order, the machinery that closed in around the teacher: rising tensions, the spread of accusations, successive misunderstandings and creeping isolation, culminating in a tragic end. The screenplay freely draws on the book Les Derniers jours de Samuel Paty by Stéphane Simon (2023), with the collaboration of Mickaëlle Paty.
Alongside Antoine Reinartz and Emmanuelle Bercot, the cast notably includes Nedjim Bouizzoul and Emma Boumali. The film is produced by Outside Films and Les Films du Kiosque, in co-production with UGC, France 3 Cinéma and Umedia, with support from Canal+, France Télévisions, the Île-de-France Region and the CNC. Shot in the summer of 2025, its press campaign was postponed to give priority to ongoing legal proceedings.
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