The selection of films being shown at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival got announced earlier this morning and there is a lot to talk about! I’ve pulled together everything you need to know: key dates, a list of all the films, titles to watch out for, what’s on the line, notable omissions and who is presiding over the jury.
The festival will start on Tuesday 13th May and will run until its closing ceremony on Saturday 24th May, spanning just over 11 days.
Legendary French actress, Juliette Binoche will preside over the 2025 Cannes Film Festival jury. She takes over from American director and writer Greta Gerwig; this is the second time in Cannes history that a female president has succeeded another in this iconic role. Binoche is best know for her performances in: Three Colours Trilogy (1993 & 1994), The English Patient (1996), Certified Copy (2010) and The Taste Of Things (2023).
Also, it was announced on Tuesday that Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme D’or at this years Cannes Film Festival for his lifetime achievement in Cinema. After receiving his award as part of the opening ceremony, De Niro will meet Cannes Film Festival attendees for a masterclass on stage at the Debussy Theatre on the 14th of May.
IN COMPETITION
THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME by Wes ANDERSON
EDDINGTON by Ari ASTER
JEUNES MÈRES by Jean Pierre & Luc DARDENNE
ALPHA by Julia DUCOURNAU
RENOIR by Chie HAYAKAWA
THE HISTORY OF SOUND by Oliver HERMANUS
LA PETITE DERNIÈRE by Hafsia HERZI
SIRAT by Oliver LAXE
NOUVELLE VAGUE by Richard LINKLATER
TWO PROSECUTORS by Sergei LOZNITSA
FUORI by Mario MARTONE
O SECRETO AGENTE by Kleber MENDONÇA FILHO
DOSSIER 137 by Dominik MOLL
UN SIMPLE ACCIDENT de Jafar PANAHI
THE MASTERMIND by Kelly REICHARDT
EAGLES OF THE REPUBLIC by Tarik SALEH
SOUND OF FALLING by Mascha SCHILINSKI
ROMERÍA by Carla SIMÓN
SENTIMENTAL VALUE by Joachim TRIER
Cannes Film Festival looks to have curated another great competition lineup with a fantastic range of stories. A title that particularly intrigues me is NOUVELLE VAGUE by Richard Linklater. The film depicts the making of French new wave classic Breathless (1960), with Guilleme Marbeck starring as the illustrious Jean Luc Godard and Zoey Deutch starring as Jean Seberg. The film is Linklater’s first foray into foreign language cinema, being shot entirely in French. Linklater is off the back of premiering his other latest project ‘Blue Moon’ at the Berlin Film Festival, where Andrew Scott won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. 2025 is looking to be a fantastic year for Richard Linklater and Nouvelle Vague is definitely on my watch list.
Another title that really piqued my interest is SENTIMENTAL VALUE by Joachim Trier. There is no official synopsis for the film as of yet but it has been described as “an intimate and moving exploration of family, memories and the reconciliatory power of art”. This sees the director link up with, actress, Renate Reinsve for the third time in their career, with their last outing, The Worst Person In The World (2021) being nominated for the Palme D’or (best film in competition) and actually earned Reinsve the award for Best Actress. Mubi have announced their acquisition of the rights to the film in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Turkey and India. Joachim Trier is on a roll, establishing himself as one of Europe’s most interesting voices and Sentimental Value seems poised to carry that momentum on.
THE MASTERMIND by Kelly Reichardt is a title that really interests me as well. The film is about a man, played by Josh O’Connor, who orchestrates an art heist set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the country’s burgeoning liberation movement. This is Reichardt’s second feature to be included in competition selection with her last film, Showing Up (2022), also being included. Kelly Reichardt is an important voice in contemporary American cinema and The Mastermind could definitely be the film that wins her the Palme D’or.
ALPHA by Julie Ducournau is another title to keep an eye on. Ducournau won the Palme D’or with her last film, Titane (2021). Alpha is set in New York during the 1980’s and is about an 11 year old child, who’s parent is suffering with AIDS, during the height of the epidemic. Ducournau will hope to start a streak of Palme d’Or wins with this compelling story.
Also, i can’t ignore JEUNES MÈRES (Young Mothers) by Jean Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The Dardenne brothers are no strangers to the Cannes Film Festival; having had numerous films in competition, two Palme D’or wins, one Best Director win, one Best Screenplay win and one Grand Prix win (runner up to the Palme D’or). The film is about five young mothers living in a shelter who strive for a better future for themselves and their kids despite the challenges they face. The Dardenne brothers are Cannes royalty at this point and thats enough reason to be excited for Jeunes Mères.
NOTABLE OMISSIONS
- Father, Mother, Sister, Brother by Jim Jarmusch
- The Way Of Wind by Terrence Malick
- I Want Your Sex by Gregg Araki
- Die, My Love by Lynne Ramsey
- One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson
- Bugonia by Yorgos Lanthimos
- After The Hunt by Luca Guadagnino
- The Chronology Of Water by Kristen Stewart
- Orphan – László Nemes
- No Other Choice – Park Chan Wook
- A Big Bold Beautiful Journey by Kogonada
UN CERTAIN REGARD
LA MISTERIOSA MIRADA DEL FLAMENCO by Diego CÉSPEDES | Directorial Feature Debut
MÉTÉORS by Hubert CHARUEL
MY FATHER’S SHADOW by Akinola DAVIES JR | Directorial Feature Debut
L’INCONNU DE LA GRANDE ARCHE by Stéphane DEMOUSTIER
URCHIN by Harris DICKINSON | Directorial Feature Debut
HOMEBOUND by Neeraj GHAYWAN
TÔI YAMANAMINO HIKARI by Kei ISHIKAWA
ELEANOR THE GREAT by Scarlett JOHANSSON | Directorial Feature Debut
KARAVAN by Zuzana KIRCHNEROVA | Directorial Feature Debut
PILLION by Harry LIGHTON | Directorial Feature Debut
AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY by Morad MOSTAFA |Directorial Feature Debut
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA by Arab & Tarzan NASSER
THE PLAGUE by Charlie POLINGER | Directorial Feature Debut
PROMISED SKY by Erige SEHIRI
LE CITTÀ DI PIANURA by Francesco SOSSAI
TESTA O CROCE? by Matteo ZOPPIS & Alessio RIGO DE RIGHI
Un Certain Regard is a selection of films in the Cannes Film Festival that celebrate innovative and bold films, oftentimes offering a platform for emerging and upcoming directors.
A really interesting title in this category is TÔI YAMANAMINO HIKARI (A Pale View Of The Hills) by Kei Ishikawa. It’s an adaptation of a novel with the same name by Nobel Prize winning author, Kazuo Ishiguro. Ishikawa’s previous feature, A Man, debuted at the 2022 Venice Film Festival and went on to win Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay and four other major awards at the Japanese Academy Awards. The film uses two timelines to explore a Japanese widow’s memories of post war Nagasaki and a Cold War era England, unraveling secrets that intertwine her past and present experiences across the two borders.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA by Arab and Tarzan Nasser is another title that really interests me. The film is about a young palestinian student who becomes friends with a loveable drug dealer; the story is set in 2007, just as Hamas are tightening their grip on Palestine. The Nasser brothers directed Gaza Mon Amour (2020), a romantic drama set in Gaza, that won awards at the Toronto International Film Festival and was Palestine’s submission for Best Foreign Film at the 2020 Academy Awards. The film should help bring further insight into the ongoing conflict and genocide in the Middle East.
OUT OF COMPETITION
COLOURS OF TIME by Cédric KLAPISCH
LA FEMME LA PLUS RICHE DU MONDE by Thierry KLIFA
HIGHEST 2 LOWEST by Spike LEE
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING by Christopher MCQUARRIE
VIE PRIVÉE by Rebecca ZLOTOWSKI
Whilst it might seem obvious, i don’t think it means it’s the wrong choice; Highest 2 Lowest by Spike Lee is a film i am really excited for. It is an English language reinterpretation of Japanese film, High and Low (1963) by legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. It follows a music mogul, played by Denzel Washington, who gets targeted with a ransom plot. Spike Lee was president of the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2021 and has been nominated for two Palme D’ors himself, Do The Right Thing (1989) and BlacKkKlansman (2018).
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
DALLOWAY by Yann GOZLAN
THE EXIT 8 by Genki KAWAMURA
FENG LIN HUO SHAN by Juno MAK
DALLOWAY by Yann Gozlan is a title that already has some buzz about it. The film is set in the near future, where a novelist visits a housing complex in search of inspiration; with the help of her AI assistant, Dalloway, she re-sparks her imagination as she immerses herself into the writing. Mubi have the rights to distribute this film so expect it to be on their streaming service eventually, if it doesn’t hit any cinema’s near you. Dalloway will be Gozlan’s sixth feature film.
CANNES PREMIERE
AMRUM by Fatih AKIN
SPLITSVILLE by Michael Angelo COVINO
LA OLA de Sebastián LELIO
CONNEMARA by Alex LUTZ
ORWELL: 2+2=5 by Raoul PECK
DAS VERSCHWINDEN DES JOSEF MENGELE by Kirill SEREBRENNIKOV
The title that jumps off the page here to me is ORWELL: 2+2=5 by Raoul Peck. This documentary explores the life and work of the illustrious author George Orwell, with a specific focus on his novel ‘1984’. I Am Not Your Negro (2016) earned Peck a nomination for Best Documentary at the 2016 Academy Awards and he won the Peabody Award for his feature Exterminate All the Brutes (2021).
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
STORIES OF SURRENDER by BONO
TELL HER THAT I LOVE HER by Romane BOHRINGER
A MAGNIFICENT LIFE OF MARCEL PAGNOL by Sylvain CHOMET
A really exciting title in this category is A MAGNIFICENT LIFE OF MARCEL PAGNOL by Sylvain Chomet. The film is an animated biopic about the life of legendary French writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol. Sylvain Chomet won the first César award for Best Animated Feature for his film The Illusionist (2010). This film is Chomet’s first feature in twelve years, with his last being Atilla Marcel (2013).
OPENING FILM
PARTIR UN JOUR by Amélie BONNIN
PARTIR UN JOUR by Amélie Bonnin is an interesting choice to open the Cannes Film Festival. Bonnin’s feature debut is an expansion on her short film of the same name that was released in 2021. The film is about a young restaurateur who has to return home after her Dad has a heart attack. Partir Un Jour is opening the famous Cannes Film Festival and Amlie Bonnin should be extremely proud of this.
AWARDS
Palme D’or (Best Feature film)
Grand Prix (Second Best Feature Film)
Jury Prize (Most Original)
Best Director
Best Performance By An Actor
Best Performance By An Actress
Best Screenplay
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