Opening Night Film, 2026 Cannes Critics Week

AJ is a skater. Aside from making art, cruising the concrete with friends is his only concern. He certainly can’t be bothered with school dances and socializing. But when he crashes into the literal girl next door, he does a flip of the heart. Her name is Kristen. And she’s a surfer.

Southern California’s most classic pastimes come together in this tender tale of budding love along the surf. Their adventure in romance takes a turn when Kristen wakes up with a sting in her leg, a debilitation that will challenge her love for surfing and test a relationship that took off on the boards. Based on the beloved graphic novel by AJ Dungo, IN WAVES captures those sun-soaked days with glistening love for skate and surf friends, Fil-Am families, and a legacy of sport that ties Hawaiian tradition with the west coast.

Actors Will Sharpe (The White Lotus) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) lend their voices to the lead roles, and director Phuong Mai Nguyen transforms Dungo’s monochromatic novel into a dynamic, SoCal-hued animation combining the comic’s 2D roots and the 3D shapes of water: the rain, the tears, and the waves that connect AJ and Kristen to the ocean and to each other.

– Brian Hu

FREE reception for All-Fest Pass and Opening Night ticketholders

Pre-Screening Reception: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Program Start Time: 7:00 PM
Post-Screening Reception: 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM

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