Marco Perego movies cover two different jobs: directing his own features and producing other filmmakers’ work. That split confuses many searchers. This guide separates the two, explains his 2026 Cannes results, and flags every detail that could not be confirmed. Everything below comes from trade press, festival coverage, and film-database listings, not fan sites or scraped biographies.
Who Is Marco Perego?
Marco Perego is an Italian filmmaker, producer, and artist. Screen Daily describes him as a former football player turned conceptual artist who co-founded Leaf Entertainment with Michael Cerenzie. Marco Perego movies fall into two groups: films he directed and films he backed as a producer. Both groups sit within arthouse and auteur-driven cinema, and keeping them apart makes his career much easier to follow.
He is married to actress Zoe Saldaña. Some secondary profiles claim he took her surname and now goes by Marco Perego-Saldaña. That claim appears mainly on low-quality sites, and no authoritative source reviewed for this guide confirms it. Trade outlets and IMDb use Marco Perego, so this article does too. Treat the hyphenated name as unverified until a reliable source addresses it directly.
Marco Perego Movies as a Director
Perego made his feature directing debut with The Absence of Eden in 2023. Readers exploring international film careers can also browse the Connie Nielsen movies list, which traces her work across European cinema and major Hollywood productions. IMDb also lists Dovecote (2024) and Burn to Shine among his best-known credits, and it credits him as producer, director, and writer. Those listings are a useful starting point. They don’t always specify his exact role on each title, so the table below marks what is confirmed and what is not.
Screen Daily reported that Perego was directing his second feature, Petrichor, starring Valeria Golino. That report came from his Locarno appearance. No release date, festival slot, or completion status was confirmed in the sources reviewed. If you look for Petrichor today, expect limited official information until the film is formally announced or premieres, and check its official channels for updates.
| Title | Year | Role | Verification note |
| The Absence of Eden | 2023 | Director (feature debut) | Reported by Screen Daily; listed on IMDb |
| Petrichor | Not confirmed | Director | Reported in progress; stars Valeria Golino |
| Dovecote | 2024 | Listed credit | On IMDb; exact role not specified there |
| Burn to Shine | Not confirmed | Listed credit | On IMDb; role and year not confirmed here |
Marco Perego Movies as a Producer
Perego’s biggest producing moment came at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where three Leaf Entertainment films competed for the Palme d’Or. Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord won the top prize on May 23, 2026. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur took the Grand Prix, the runner-up award. Paper Tiger also competed but won nothing. Together, those results put Marco Perego movies in the festival spotlight.
Corriere Canadese reported that Perego is the first producer in Cannes history to win both the Palme d’Or and the Grand Prix in the same year. Italian outlets repeated that claim. The festival’s own announcement was not among the sources reviewed, so treat the record as widely reported rather than officially confirmed. For US readers, Neon holds US rights to Fjord, which matters if you want to track an American release.
| Film | Director | Cannes 2026 result |
| Fjord | Cristian Mungiu | Palme d’Or |
| Minotaur | Andrey Zvyagintsev | Grand Prix |
| Paper Tiger | Not named in sources reviewed | In competition; no award |
How Leaf Entertainment Picks Films
At the Locarno Film Festival, Perego described a strategy of backing international arthouse filmmakers. Screen Daily noted that he tends to invest in a broad slate of films by well-known auteurs, alongside other producers, which spreads risk. He framed the goal as finding artists he believes in and supporting them over time, even after a project falls short. That is the logic behind his producing slate.
Another report on his Locarno address said he argued that independent cinema should rest on passion and creative risk rather than spreadsheets. That philosophy is easy to praise and harder to sustain. Backing many auteurs lowers the risk of any single flop, but it still depends on audiences and distributors. These questions around production, distribution, and creative collaboration also appear in discussions of the changing film industry, where new filmmaking models and wider distribution are reshaping how projects reach audiences. Cannes 2026 shows the approach can pay off creatively. Commercial results are a separate question the sources do not answer.
What stands out in the reported strategy:
- Auteur-driven films from established international directors
- Co-producing with other companies instead of financing alone
- Long-term support for filmmakers, including after a setback
- A festival-first presence, from Locarno to Cannes
Upcoming Projects and How to Follow Them
Screen Daily listed two upcoming projects with Perego involved in some capacity: Isabel Coixet’s Days of Abandonment, starring Penélope Cruz, and Philippe Parreno’s Riverrun, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vicky Krieps, and Angela Molina. His exact role on each is not specified beyond producing alongside others. Release dates were not announced in the sources reviewed, so check official channels before planning a viewing.
Perego also said he is working with filmmakers including Mexico’s Carlos Reygadas. No specific title was named, which makes it a signal of direction rather than a confirmed film. Announcements can shift, and projects change names or casts before release. Treat anything not confirmed by a studio, festival, or trade outlet as provisional. A simple routine helps you follow Marco Perego movies as they develop:
- Start with The Absence of Eden, his confirmed directing debut.
- Follow Fjord’s US release news through Neon and festival coverage.
- Look up each new title on IMDb and in trade press to confirm his role.
- Treat unconfirmed projects, including Petrichor, as provisional.
What Is Confirmed and What Is Not
Search results for Marco Perego mix reliable reporting with recycled content. Trade press and film databases anchor the confirmed facts here. Several lifestyle sites repeat biographical claims without sourcing, and some contradict each other. Screen Daily names Michael Cerenzie as Leaf’s co-founder, while one Italian outlet says the company was founded with Saldaña. Where sources disagree, this guide reports the trade-press version and flags the difference.
That caution matters for anyone writing, researching, or deciding what to watch. A wrong credit, such as calling him the director of Fjord, spreads quickly. Fjord was directed by Cristian Mungiu, and Perego’s role was produced. Use the table as a quick reference, and verify any detail that matters through the festival, the distributor, or the film’s official credits.
| Claim | Status |
| Directed The Absence of Eden (2023) | Confirmed by trade press |
| Producer on Cannes 2026 winners Fjord and Minotaur | Confirmed by multiple outlets |
| First producer to win Palme d’Or and Grand Prix together | Widely reported; no official source reviewed |
| Goes by “Marco Perego-Saldaña” | Unverified |
| Petrichor release date | Not announced in sources reviewed |
Conclusion
Marco Perego movies fall into two clear groups. As a director, he debuted with The Absence of Eden in 2023 and has been reported to be working on Petrichor. As a producer through Leaf Entertainment, he backed Fjord and Minotaur, the Palme d’Or and Grand Prix winners at Cannes 2026. Upcoming projects like Days of Abandonment and Riverrun remain provisional, so verify any new credit before sharing it.
