Cannes Film Festival 2025
May in Europe this year once again focused the world’s attention on the French Riviera and brought international media to effectively kick off the 2025/2026 movie season, start the award show express headed to next year’s Oscars, and turbocharge the year’s film festival season at world’s biggest and most prestigious film festival, gathering great & good of global cinema to showcase their wares and celebrate the 78th edition of the annual Cannes Film Festival.
As usual the media and selected audiences caught a valuable glimpse of the likely award-contending films to be released throughout the rest of 2025 and well into 2026, both in competition and out, with the official contest determined by a jury presided over by celebrated French actress Juliette Binoche, eventually awarding this year’s prestigious Palme d’Or to Jafar Panahi’s Iranian road thriller ‘It Was Just an Accident’.
So let’s break down some of the major films and players in this year’s much anticipated festival.
Jury
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As per tradition the Palme d’Or among other prizes in the main competition were awarded by a jury made up of an eclectic selection of filmmakers and artists, presided over by French actress Juliette Binoche and included American actress Halle Berry, Congolese filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi, South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo, Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani and American actor Jeremy Strong.
Jury press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Premieres & Screenings
Tuesday the 13th
Leave One Day (Partir un Jour)
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In keeping with recent tradition the task of opening the festival was once again a homegrown honour which fell this year upon the shoulders of French writer/director Amélie Bonnin, who brought along her stars Mhamed Arezki, Tewfik Jallab, Dominique Blanc, Pierre-Antoine Billon, Juliette Armanet, François Rollin and Tewfik Jallab for the world premiere of her feature debut ‘Leave One Day’.
A French character drama adapted from her own 2021 short and centred around “Cécile”, a young woman forced to leave her life in Paris and a dream of opening her own gourmet restaurant after a family illness brings her back to her childhood village, as she’s reunited with an old flame and faces buried memories while questioning the person she has become. ‘Leave One Day’ is out now in French cinemas, with no UK or US dates yet.
Leave One Day press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Wednesday the 14th
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
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The first full day of screenings this year culminated with real modern Hollywood star power walking the Cannes red carpet when superstar actor/producer Tom Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie brought along their stars Angela Bassett, Erik Jendresen, Eddie Hamilton, Greg Tarzan Davis, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Tramell Tillman and Hannah Waddingham for the world premiere of the eighth and potentially final instalment of the blockbuster action series ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’.
It chronicles the continuing adventures of IMF super-agent Ethan Hunt who returns to face the powerful ghosts of the past as his team is plunged into their most dangerous globetrotting mission ever trying to stop a devastating weapon from ending up in the wrong hands and upending the world. ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ is out now everywhere.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Sound of Falling (In Die Sonne Schauen)
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The first Wednesday at the festival this year also signalled the opening of the official competition and the return of German cinema to the Riviera, as writer/director Mascha Schilinski made her Cannes debut flanked by her stars Hanna Heckt, Filip Schnack, Lena Urzendowsky, Susanne Wüst, Laeni Geiseler and Luise Heyer for the premiere of their era-spanning German character period drama ‘Sound of Falling’.
The tale of four women separated by decades but united by a farm house in northern Germany where they all grow up, and the shared trauma and experience which unexpectedly brings them together and seeps through the walls of their home. ‘Sound of Falling’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Sound of Falling press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Two Prosecutors
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The day’s other official competition screening was a pan-European take on a Soviet story which brought celebrated Ukrainian writer/director Sergey Loznitsa back to the festival, accompanied by his stars Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Anatoliy Bely, Aleksandr Filippenko, Kevin Chneiweiss and Vytautas Kaniusonis for the world premiere of their character drama study of corruption and justice ‘Two Prosecutors’.
A period drama set in 1937 Soviet Union under the iron fist of a Stalinist purge, where an idealistic young prosecutor embarks on a dangerous journey through a ruthless totalitarian system and it’s feared secret police, after he discovers a letter which uncovers the corruption which landed a falsely accused man in a Soviet prison. ‘Two Prosecutors’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Two Prosecutors press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Thursday the 15th
Dossier 137
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Thursday number one at the festival this year brought a first taste of French cinema to the official competition proceedings courtesy of Franco-German writer/director and Cannes regular Dominik Moll, who was flanked on the red carpet by his stars Stanislas Merhar, Guslagie Malanda, Solàn Machado-Graner, Sandra Colombo, Mathilde Roehrich, Léa Drucker, Jonathan Turnbull, Gilles Marchand, Theo Costa–Marini and Valentin Campagne for the premiere of their contemporary crime drama ‘Dossier 137’.
The story of a cop who investigates cops, assigned a case by her bosses at the French Internal Affairs investigating a severely injured young protester at a violent Paris demonstration, as her investigation into the police involved soon takes an unexpected turn when the case becomes personal and connects her to her past. ‘Dossier 137’ is out on the 19th of November in France, with no other dates yet.
Dossier 137 press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Sirât
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The day’s second official competition screening brought some relatively rare Spanish participation and Franco-Spanish writer director Óliver Laxe back once again to the festival with a North African tale, accompanied by his stars Sergi Lopez, Bruno Núñez, Jade Oukid, Richard Bellamy, Tonin Janvier and Stefania Gadda for the premiere of their contemporary character drama ‘Sirat’.
A Moroccan-set story following a middle-aged Spanish father and his son who travel to a wild rave in the mountains of the North African country in search of his missing daughter, only to unexpectedly join a group of revellers on a voyage to one last party deep in the desert to find her, and be forced to confront their own fears and limitations along the way. ‘Sirat’ is out on the 6th of June in Spain, with no other confirmed dates yet.
Sirât press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Dalloway
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Thursday’s big out-of-competition screening was a modern homegrown affair which brought French genre filmmaker and thriller devotee Yann Gozlan to the Riviera along with his stars Anna Mouglalis, Cécile de France and Freya Mavor for the premiere of their artificial intelligence warning tale ‘Dalloway’.
The story of a writer struggling for inspiration who joins a technologically advanced artist collective, leaning on the support of an AI assistant who helps her recover her artistic groove and write her novel, only to become unsettled by her increasingly intrusive hi-tech helper and start to question the nature of her new surroundings and the intentions of her hosts. ‘Dalloway’ is out on the 17th of September in French cinemas.
Dalloway red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Friday the 16th
Eddington
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The first Friday at the festival this year brought a first taste of American participation to the official competition and one of the more exciting voices in modern cinema to the Riviera for his Cannes debut, as writer/director Ari Aster walked the red carpet flanked by his cavalcade of stars including Clifton Collins Jr., Joaquin Phoenix, Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Lars Knudsen, Micheal Ward, Amelie Hoeferle, Matt Gomez Hidaka and Cameron Mann for the premiere of their character drama meditation on a dangerously divided union ‘Eddington’.
A timely and reflective modern tale of societal mistrust, resentment and hatred centred on small town New Mexico, where tensions ignite and neighbourhoods split after the liberal mayor clashes with the conservative sheriff to spark a powder keg waiting to explode. ‘Eddington’ is out on the 18th of July in US cinemas.
Eddington press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
La Petite Dernière
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Friday’s second official competition contender was a North African affair by way of a Franco-German production which brought French actress turned writer/director Hafsia Herzi back to the festival, flanked by her stars Nadia Melliti and Park Ji-min for the premiere of their contemporary drama ‘La Petite Dernière’. A character drama centred on a suburban French teenager who leaves her Algerian family to study philosophy in Paris, trying to establish her identity as she struggles to reconcile her new freedoms and her burgeoning desires for the women in the big city with her religious upbringing and her family’s cultural traditions. ‘La Petite Dernière’ is out on the 1st of October in France.
La Petite Dernière on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Chronology of Water
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The pick of the day’s other screenings was an American true story affair and a contender in the “Un Certain Regard” competition which brought an anticipated directorial debut to the Riviera, as American screen star turned writer/director Kristen Stewart returned to Cannes accompanied by her stars Michael Epp, Esmé Creed-Miles, Imogen Poots, Kim Gordon and Thora Birch for the premiere of the adaptation of the Lidia Yuknavitch memoir ‘The Chronology of Water’.
A biographical tale of overcoming trauma and struggle centred on a young San Francisco woman who escapes an abusive home to chase the dream of being a competitive swimmer only to lose her college scholarship and dash her Olympic hopes through self-destruction, but then find new meaning and a clear life path through the arts and the world of literature to become a successful author/academic and family woman. ‘The Chronology of Water’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Chronology of Water photocall (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Saturday the 17th
Nouvelle Vague (New Wave)
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The first Saturday’s busy official competition schedule culminated with a fitting Palme d’Or contender which brought American director Richard Linklater to the Côte d’Azur with his tribute to Jean-Luc Godard and the “French New Wave” which so influenced his and previous generations of indie filmmakers, for the premiere of ‘Nouvelle Vague’.
A period dramedy story told in the style and with the spirit of its subject and set in the late 1950s, chronicling Godard’s struggles in making a seminal independent picture and a pillar of the revolutionary French New Wave of cinema—1960’s ‘Breathless’. Linklater was joined on the Cannes red carpet by his stars Guillaume Marbeck, Aubry Dullin and Zoey Deutch, ‘Nouvelle Vague’ is out in French cinemas on the 8th of October.
Nouvelle Vague press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Die, My Love
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Saturday’s second official competition contender came in the form of a Canadian production of an American story led by bold British writer/director Lynne Ramsay, whom true to form made yet another long-awaited return to the festival flanked by her stars Jennifer Lawrence, Sissy Spacek, Robert Pattinson and Lakeith Stanfield, plus producers Andrea Calderwood, Justine Ciarrocchi, Molly Smith, Thad Luckinbill and Trent Luckinbill for the premiere of her adaptation of the Ariana Harwicz novel ‘Die, My Love’.
A psychological drama/thriller set in rural Montana where a new mother struggles to keep it together when the pressures of life and a failing marriage become compounded by depression and a looming battle with psychosis, as she fights to maintain her sanity and keep track of what is real . . . with dire consequences for her and those around her. ‘Die, My Love’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Die, My Love on the red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Renoir
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The third big screening of the day brought Japanese cinema to the official competition and writer/director Chie Hayakawa back to the festival for the premiere of her coming-of-age period character drama ‘Renoir’. The tale of a Japanese tween in the late 1980s who under the strain of a terminally ill father and stressed out mother if left to her own devices, plunging into a world of fantasy and imagination to deal with her predicament. Hayakawa was joined by her stars Lily Franky, Yui Suzuki, Hikari Ishida, Yumi Kawai and Ayumu Nakajima, ‘Renoir’ is out on the 20th of June in Japan.
Renoir press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Sunday the 18th
The Phoenician Scheme
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Sunday this year brought ensemble Hollywood star power to the Riviera and singular American filmmaking back to the official competition when visionary writer/director Wes Anderson returned to Cannes, flanked by his stars Richard Ayoade, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Benicio del Toro, Rupert Friend, Alexandre Desplat, Rachida Dati, Mia Threapleton, Jeffrey Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antonia Desplat and Bill Murray for the premiere of his latest signaturely stylish and uniquely quirky deadpan character concoction ‘The Phoenician Scheme’.
The tale of a powerful patriarch and one of Europe’s richest men, whom after surviving his latest air travel accident re-evaluates his his relationships and global deeds, including his strained bond with an estranged daughter, whilst his schemes and influence on those around him and the world at large come home to roost. ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is out now in UK cinemas and on the 30th of May in the US.
The Phoenician Scheme press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto)
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The end of week one and the day’s second official competition screening brought a taste of Brazilian cinema back to the Riviera when writer/director and now Cannes regular Kleber Mendonça Filho returned to the festival, accompanied by his stars Gabriel Leone, Wagner Moura, Maria Fernanda Cândido and Alice Carvalho for the premiere of his latest character study of his native Recife ‘The Secret Agent’. A tense period crime drama set in Brazil under military rule in 1977, where a tech expert on the run from a shadowy past returns to Recife for refuge and reunification with his family, only to find that home may not provide the peace and security he seeks. ‘The Secret Agent’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Secret Agent press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Richest Woman in the World (La Femme la Plus Riche du Monde)
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The pick of the day’s other screenings was a homegrown out-of-competition gala affair which welcomed French filmmaker Thierry Klifa to the festival alongside his star and first lady of French cinema Isabelle Huppert, plus co-stars Mathieu Demy, Marina Foïs, Alex Beaupain, Jacques Fieschi, Laurent Lafitte, Cédric Anger and Raphaël Personnaz for the premiere of their family fortune drama ‘The Richest Woman in the World’.
A family drama tale of scandal, suspicion and corruption centred on a wealthy elderly matriarch whose suspicious financial gift to a questionable young photographer lover sparks an internal war and an inquisition within the family, unravelling uncomfortable secrets which lead all the way up to the country’s corridors of power. ‘The Richest Woman in the World’ is out on the 29th of October in France.
The Richest Woman in the World press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Week 2 (Next Page)–>
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