The streaming platform has closed a deal to acquire the international rights to In Waves, the debut feature film by director Phuong Mai Nguyen, outside French territory. The film was one of the most talked-about animated titles at the latest edition of the Cannes Film Festival, and marks Netflix's first major acquisition at the event during 2026, according to Variety.
The technical challenge of animating memory and water 🎨
The production combines 2D animation with computer-generated sequences to represent the fluidity of memory and the passage of time. Nguyen used a digital layering system that mimics watercolor, achieving transitions between the dreamlike and the real without abrupt cuts. The animation team worked with a non-linear rendering engine that allows lighting to be modified in real time, a technique usually reserved for video games. This reduced post-production times and gave animators control over each frame without needing to re-render entire scenes.
When your movie gets bought by Netflix and not your local cinema 😅
So now In Waves will go from the Croisette to your living room screen, probably while you check your phone and wonder what happened in the third act. The director dreamed of packed theaters, but at least she'll have the consolation of knowing her work will compete with true crime series and octopus documentaries. That said: the algorithm will know exactly when to recommend it to you, just when you're about to cancel your subscription.