The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival promises another cinematic knockout, blending heavyweight auteurs, daring newcomers, and high-voltage premieres. Unveiled at a Paris press conference by festival heads Thierry Frémaux and Iris Knobloch, this year’s selection spans war epics, twisted love stories, feminist musicals, and body horror shockers.
From Tom Cruise to Spike Lee, and a stunning jury headed by Juliette Binoche, Cannes 2025 is packed with bold storytelling and global talent. Here’s what’s in store on the Croisette.
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Out of Competition Highlights
● Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Christopher McQuarrie
● Highest 2 Lowest – Spike Lee
● Vie Privée – Rebecca Zlotowski
● Partir un jour – Amélie Bonnin (Opening film)
● The Richest Woman in the World – Thierry Klifa
In Competition: Palme d’Or Contenders
● The Phoenician Scheme – Wes Anderson
● Eddington – Ari Aster
● Nouvelle Vague – Richard Linklater
● The Mastermind – Kelly Reichardt
● Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier
● Alpha – Julia Ducournau
● Dossier 137 – Dominik Moll
● The History of Sound – Oliver Hermanus
● A Simple Accident – Jafar Panahi
● Young Mothers – Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
● The Eagles of the Republic – Tarik Saleh
● Fuori – Mario Martone
● La Petite Derniere – Hafsia Herzi
● Renoir – Chie Hayakawa
● Romeria – Carla Simone
● The Secret Agent – Kleber Mendonça Filho
● Sirat – Oliver Laxe
● Sound of Falling – Mascha Schilinski
● Two Prosecutors – Sergei Loznitsa
Special Screenings and Tributes
● Bono: Stories of Surrender – Andrew Dominik
● The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol – Sylvain Chomet
● Tell Her I Love Her – Romane Bohringer
● Honorary Palme d’Or – Robert De Niro
Midnight Screenings
● Songs of the Neon Night – Juno Mak
● Exit 8 – Kawamura Genki
● Dalloway – Yann Gozlan
Un Certain Regard Selections
● Eleanor the Great – Scarlett Johansson
● Urchin – Harris Dickinson
● My Father’s Shadow – Akinola Davies Jr
● Homebound – Neeraj Ghaywan
● Aisha Can’t Fly Away – Morad Mostafa
● Heads or Tails? – Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis
● Karavan – Zuzana Kirchnerová
● L’inconnu de la Grande Arche – Stéphane Demoustier
● The Last One for the Road – Francesco Sossai
● Meteors – Hubert Charuel
● The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo – Diego Céspedes
● Once Upon A Time In Gaza – Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser
● A Pale View of the Hills – Kei Ishikawa
● Pillion – Harry Lighton
● The Plague – Charlie Polinger
● Promised Sky – Erige Sehiri
Cannes Premiere Selections
● The Disappearance of Josef Mengele – Kirill Serebrennikov
● Amrum – Fatih Akin
● Connemara – Alex Lutz
● Orwell: 2+2 = 5 – Raoul Peck
● Splitsville – Michael Angelo Covino
● The Wave – Sebastián Lelio
With a dynamic mix of master auteurs, bold newcomers, and high-profile premieres, the 78th Cannes Film Festival promises to be a cinematic feast. From Wes Anderson’s eccentric world-building to Julia Ducournau’s chilling imagination and the much-anticipated return of Tom Cruise, the lineup is brimming with global talent and storytelling ambition. As the red carpet rolls out on the Croisette, cinephiles everywhere will be watching closely, ready for surprises, standing ovations, and perhaps the next Palme d’Or legend in the making.
Prachi Mehta
