The Cannes Film Festival announced this year’s lineup Thursday, featuring 10 adaptations—and no Hollywood blockbusters. 

The invitation-only film festival held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in France is among the biggest and most prestigious film festivals in the world. This year’s festival takes place May 12 through 23. 

The Cannes Film Festival invites films to be screened in multiple categories. Those in the Main Competition are competing for the Palme d’Or award and The Un Certain Regard section features mostly up-and-coming selections. The festival also includes categories for films Out of Competition, Midnight Screenings (horror and comedy with commercial appeal) and Cannes Premiere. 

Let’s take a look at the book-to-screen adaptations selected for the Cannes Film Festival below. Note, there’s no U.S. release date for any of the films. 

Main competition

‘La Bola Negra”

“La Bola Negra,” or “The Black Ball” in English, is a Spanish-language film that adapts the final, unfinished novel by Federico García Lorca by the same name as well as the play “La Piedra Oscura” or “The Dark Stone” by Alberto Conejero. 

The film from the writing-directing duo of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi tells the story of three gay men across different eras in time. Glenn Close and Penélope Cruz join Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Julio Torres and Carlos Gonzàlez. 

‘All of a Sudden’

Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi makes his French-language debut in the trailer for “All of a Sudden.” The drama stars Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto and is based on the book “When Life Suddenly Takes a Turn,” a nonfiction book of letters between a philosopher with terminal cancer and a medical anthropologist. 

‘L’Inconnue’

Loosely based on a graphic novel by brothers Arthur Harari and Lucas Harari called “Le cas David Zimmerman” or “The Case of Zimmerman,” this film tells the story of a homebody who, after a rare night out, wakes up in the body of a woman he meets at a New Year’s Eve party. “L’Inconnue,” titled “The Unknown” in English, stars French actors Lèa Seydoux, Niels Schneider and Victoire Du Bois and is directed by Arthur Harari. 

‘Histoires de la Nuit’

Adapted from the novel by Laurent Mauvignier, “Histoires de la Nuit,” or “The Birthday Party” in English, tells the story of a couple—Thomas (Bastien Bouillon) and Nora (Hafsia Herzi)—and their daughter who live in a rural area of France. Amid plans for a surprise birthday party for Nora, chilling and disturbing events begin to happen. The film is directed by Lea Mysius. 

Un Certain Regard

‘All the Lovers in the Night’

The lone adaptation in the Un Certain Regard category, “All the Lovers in the Night” adapts Mieko Kawakami’s novel of the same name. It centers on a freelance proofreader, Fuyoko, as she falls in love with a high school physics teacher, Mitsutsuka. The film stars Golden Globe-winning Tadanobu Asano and Japan Academy Prize-winning Yukino Kishii. Yukiko Sode directs. 

Out of Competition

‘La Bataille de Gaulle: L’Age de fer’

This is the first film in a two-part biographical series about World War II-era French leader Charles de Gaulle. Titled “De Gaulle: Tilting Iron” in English, the film stars Simon Abkarian as the titular leader alongside Niels Schneider, Thierry Lhermitte and Simon Russell Beale. Directed and written by Antonin Baudry, the pair of films are an adaptation of Julian Jackson’s book, “De Gaulle, une certaine idée de la France.” 

L’Abandon

“L’Abandon” is a loose adaptation of Stéphane Simon’s book “The Last Days of Samuel Paty,” the real-life story of a French teacher killed by terrorists in 2020 for purportedly showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Antonine Reinartz portrays Paty alongside Emmanuelle Bercot and Nedjim Bouizzoul. Vincent Garenq directs. 

Cannes Premiere

‘Kokurojo: The Samurai and the Prisoner’

Premiering at Cannes will be “Kokurojo: The Samurai and the Prisoner” based on the novel by Honobu Yonezawa and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The Japanese film tells the story of a samurai tasked with solving the mystery of a murder as he’s holed up inside a castle amid a rebellion. The film stars Masahiro Motoki, Masaki Suda and Yuriko Yoshitaka. 

‘Heimsuchung’

Under the title “Visitation” in English, this adaptation of Jenny Erpenbeck’s novel tells 100 years of German history through the eyes of a Berlin lakeside house. During this time, those living in the home see the rise of Nazism, World War II, Soviet occupation and, eventually, the reunification of Germany. The film is directed by Volker Schlöndorff and stars Detlev Buck, Stella Denis-Winkler and Lars Eldinger. 

‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’

Finally, John Travolta’s film “Propeller One-Way Night Coach” is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The Apple Original film is an adaptation of Travolta’s 1997 children’s book of the same name. Travolta will also direct the film, which will debut on AppleTV on May 29.

For a full list of all films screening at the Cannes Film Festival this year, visit the event website.