Forsaken (L'Abandon)

Forsaken, the English-language title of Vincent Garenq's French drama L'Abandon, has been selected out of competition for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and releases theatrically in France on May 13. Antoine Reinartz portrays Samuel Paty, the history teacher assassinated on October 16, 2020, after showing caricatures during a lesson on freedom of expression. The screenplay, written by Garenq and Alexis Kebbas in collaboration with Paty's sister Mickaëlle, draws on Stéphane Simon's 2023 book Les Derniers jours de Samuel Paty and the subsequent investigations and trials. Emmanuelle Bercot plays the school principal. The film is produced by Outside Films and Les Films du Kiosque, co-produced by UGC, France 3 Cinéma, and Umedia, with backing from Canal+, France Télévisions, and the CNC. Shot in summer 2025 in the Paris suburbs, the production was kept secret to avoid interfering with ongoing legal proceedings. UGC Distribution handles French release; Studio TF1 manages international sales.