The Cannes Film Festival is set to raise the curtain on its 78th edition May 13- 24, welcoming global cinema royalty to the iconic Croisette. Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise, Pedro Pascal, and Scarlett Johansson are among the most anticipated arrivals, marking the start of the world’s most prestigious film festival.
Founded in 1939, the festival has run annually since 1946. Since then, many of the films showcased there have gone on to Oscar glory. Including Quentin Tarantino, whose career was propelled by his 1994 Palme d’Or win for Pulp Fiction.
Other awards include the Grand Prix, jury prize, best director, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best short film.
Palme d’Or notable contenders include Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, Ari Aster’s Eddington, Bi Gan’s Resurrection, and Renoir by Japanese filmmaker Hayakawa Chie. Also in the competition are entries from renowned directors such as the Dardenne brothers (Jeunes Mères), Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident), and Richard Linklater (Nouvelle Vague). Among the most anticipated is Julia Ducournau’s return with Alpha, following her 2021 Palme win for Titane.
This year, 22 films are vying for the festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or.
- “The Phoenician Scheme,” directed by Wes Anderson
- “Eddington,” Ari Aster
- “Resurrection”, Bi Gan
- “Jeunes Meres” (The Young Mother’s Home), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
- “Alpha,” Julia Ducournau
- “Renoir,” Hayakawa Chie
- “The History Of Sound,” Oliver Hermanus
- “La Petite Derniere,” Hafsia Herzi
- “Sirat,” Oliver Laxe
- “Nouvelle Vague,” Richard Linklater
- “Two Prosecutors,” Sergei Loznitsa
- “Fuori,” Mario Martone
- “O Agente Secreto” (The Secret Agent), Kleber Mendonca Filho
- “Case 137” (Dossier 137), Dominik Moll
- “It Was Just An Accident,” Jafar Panahi
- “Die My Love,” Lynne Ramsay
- “The Mastermind,” Kelly Reichardt
- “Zan O Bacheh” (Woman And Child), Saeed Roustaee
- “Eagles Of The Republic,” Tarik Saleh
- “Sound Of Falling,” Mascha Schilinski
- “Romeria,” Carla Simon
- “Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier
Several films outside the main competition are generating buzz. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, starring Tom Cruise, will screen out of competition, as will Spike Lee’s new film Highest 2 Lowest, which brings Denzel Washington to the Cannes red carpet for the first time.
The festival’s opening ceremony will also honor screen legend Robert De Niro with an honorary Palme d’Or, celebrating his decades-long contribution to global cinema. Nicole Kidman will receive the Women in Motion Award on May 18, 2025.
Emerging talent will be a focal point this year. Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart, and Harris Dickinson—all attending as first-time directors—will debut films in the festival’s sidebar categories, signaling a generational shift among actor-directors.
The festivities begin with the French-language comedy Leave One Day by Amelie Bonnin, setting a light-hearted yet reflective tone for the days to follow.
For now, Cannes is once again the heartbeat of the global film community, where art, politics, and glamour meet under the Mediterranean sun.
Source: The Cannes Film Festival website
