10/04/2025 - The festival presents a blend of safe bets and new faces in the competition, with three former winners, nine filmmakers having previously taken part and seven new entries

UPDATE (5 May 2025): The selection has been completed with new titles – read about them here.

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The febrile expectations of international cinephiles have certainly not been thwarted by the press conference held earlier today in Paris to unveil the Official Selection of the 78th Cannes Film Festival (13-24 May). It has to be said that General Delegate Thierry Frémaux (flanked by president Iris Knobloch) has mastered the art of mixing the various cocktail ingredients that respect the fundaments of artistic excellence required by the Cannes-based event (ensuring the competition line-up includes the crème de la crème of the world’s arthouse filmmakers who have already proven themselves in the past and who are, if possible, in their finest fettle) all the while managing to surprise us by injecting some fresh blood into the proceedings. It all started with a record number of 2,909 features that were under consideration, hailing from 156 countries.

With seven filmmakers selected for the very first time in the hunt for the Palme d’Or, four for the second time and four for the third time (based on the 19 films in the running in competition for now), the refrain stating that the Cannes Film Festival is reserved purely for its regulars is clearly now obsolete. The keys to the 2025 edition are obviously being offered to the up-and-coming generation, which probably explains the absence of a few high-level names forecasted by the film buffs, which is likely to spawn myriad comments before the discovery of these films yields any actual elements enabling analysis and judgement. This openness to the new generations is symbolised potently by the identity of the bold opening film (out of competition), which will be a feature debut (and is billed as extremely moving): Leave One Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by France’s Amélie Bonnin.

And so, the very exciting and relatively intriguing Cannes line-up for 2025 includes 19 features in competition, although a few new additions are to be expected (incidentally, a clutch of films have apparently been left for a second ballot, pending evaluation of the latecomers). Standing out among the lucky few are three former winners: Belgium’s Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Palme d’Or in 1999 and 2005, Best Directing Award in 2019, Grand Prix in 2011 and Best Screenplay Award in 2008 – their tenth time in competition) with The Young Mother's Home [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
film profile] and France’s Julia Ducournau (Palme d’Or in 2021 – her second time) with Alpha [+see also:
film review
film profile].

They are joined by four filmmakers who have previously won awards in the Cannes competition (either for their films or thanks to their actors): Brazil’s Kleber Mendonça Filho (his third time – Jury Prize in 2019) with The Secret Agent [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Norway’s Joachim Trier (his third time – Best Actress Award in 2021) with Sentimental Value [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] and Swedish director of Egyptian heritage Tarik Saleh (his second time – Best Screenplay Award in 2022) with Eagles of the Republic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tarik Saleh
film profile], and Iran’s Jafar Panahi (his second time – Best Screenplay Award in 2018) with It Was Just an Accident [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

Also locking horns are six contenders having previously taken part in these upper echelons of Cannes: Ukraine’s Sergei Loznitsa (his fourth time) with Two Prosecutors [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sergei Loznitsa
film profile], Italy’s Mario Martone (his third time) with Fuori [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
film profile], French director of German heritage Dominik Moll (his third time and returning 20 years after his most recent appearance at this level) with Case 137 [+see also:
film review
interview: Dominik Moll
film profile], as well as the USA’s Wes Anderson (his fourth time) with The Phoenician Scheme [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Kelly Reichardt (her second time) with The Mastermind and Richard Linklater (his second time, after his participation in 2006), with a 100% French movie, Nouvelle Vague [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

Seven new entries round off the group of Palme d’Or hunters: South Africa’s Oliver Hermanus with The History of Sound [+see also:
film review
film profile], a US-UK production starring Ireland’s Paul Mescal and the UK’s Josh O’Connor; Spaniard Carla Simon (Golden Bear at Berlin in 2022) with Romería [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]; her fellow countryman Óliver Laxe (Un Certain Regard Jury Prize in 2019) with Sirat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile]; France’s Hafsia Herzi with The Little Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hafsia Herzi
film profile]; two female directors with their sophomore features (Germany’s Mascha Schilinski with Sound of Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Japan’s Chie Hayakawa with Renoir [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Chie Hayakawa
film profile]); and the USA’s Ari Aster with Eddington.

As for geographical origins, Europe easily dominates the provisional 2025 competition line-up with 12 filmmakers vying for the Palme d’Or: two are Belgian (the Dardennes), three French (Ducournau, Moll and Herzi), one Italian (Martone), two Spanish (Simon and Laxe), one Norwegian (Trier), one Swedish (Saleh), one German (Schilinski) and one Ukrainian (Loznitsa). North America boasts a four-strong contingent (Reichardt, Aster, Anderson and Linklater), Asia two (Hayakawa and Panahi), and South America (Mendonça Filho) and Africa (Hermanus) one each.

Lastly, for the time being, six female directors are lined up for the competition, but a few additions are still to be revealed, as is the make-up of the official competition jury, to be chaired by Juliette Binoche (see the news).

For the fifth year since its inception, the Cannes Première programme is treating itself to some tasty cinematic morsels, with works by Russia’s Kirill Serebrennikov (The Disappearance of Josef Mengele [+see also:
film review
interview: Kirill Serebrennikov
film profile]), Germany’s Fatih Akin (Amrum [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), France’s Alex Lutz (Connemara [+see also:
film review
interview: Alex Lutz
film profile]), Chile’s Sebastián Lelio (The Wave), the USA’s Michael Angelo Covino (Splitville) and a documentary by Haiti’s Raoul Peck (Orwell: 2+2=5).

The out-of-competition line-up, which we already knew would include Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning by US helmer Christopher McQuarrie, also sees the addition of features by France’s Rebecca Zlotowski (A Private Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], billed as a screwball comedy), Cédric Klapisch (Colours of Time [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cédric Klapisch
film profile]) and Thierry Klifa (The Richest Woman in the World [+see also:
film review
interview: Thierry Klifa
film profile]) and veteran US filmmaker Spike Lee (Highest 2 Lowest).

Also taking part are the 16 films (for the time being) in Un Certain Regard (read article), one of which is the directorial feature debut by US actress Scarlett Johansson, while the Special Screenings include films by Bono (The Story of Surrender) and France’s Sylvain Chomet (the animated flick A Magnificent Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sylvain Chomet
film profile]) and Romane Bohringer (Tell Her That I Love Her [+see also:
film review
film profile]), and the Midnight Screenings take in features hailing from Hong Kong, Japan and France (Dalloway [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Yann Gozlan). 

Last but not least, an honorary Palme d'Or will be handed to Robert De Niro during the opening ceremony.

Here is the list of selected films:

Competition

The Phoenician Scheme [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Wes Anderson (USA/Germany)
Eddington - Ari Aster (USA)
The Young Mother’s Home [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
film profile] - Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium/France)
Alpha [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Julia Ducournau (France/Belgium)
Renoir [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Chie Hayakawa
film profile] - Chie Hayakawa (Japan/France/Indonesia/Singapore)
The History of Sound [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Oliver Hermanus (UK/USA)
The Little Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hafsia Herzi
film profile] - Hafsia Herzi (France/Germany)
Sirat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile] - Óliver Laxe (Spain/France)
Nouvelle Vague [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Richard Linklater (France)
Two Prosecutors [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sergei Loznitsa
film profile] - Sergei Loznitsa (France/Germany/Romania/Latvia/Netherlands/Lithuania)
Fuori [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
film profile] - Mario Martone (Italy/France)
The Secret Agent [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil/France)
Case 137 [+see also:
film review
interview: Dominik Moll
film profile] - Dominik Moll (France)
It Was Just an Accident [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Jafar Panahi (France/Luxembourg/Iran)
The Mastermind - Kelly Reichardt (USA)
Eagles of the Republic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tarik Saleh
film profile] - Tarik Saleh (Sweden/France/Denmark/Finland)
Sound of Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Mascha Schilinski (Germany)
Romería [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Carla Simón (Spain/Germany)
Sentimental Value [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] - Joachim Trier (Norway/France/Denmark/Germany)

Cannes Première

Amrum [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Fatih Akin
Splitville - Michael Angelo Covino
Connemara [+see also:
film review
interview: Alex Lutz
film profile] - Alex Lutz
The Disappearence of Josef Mengele [+see also:
film review
interview: Kirill Serebrennikov
film profile] - Kirill Serebrennikov (France/Germany/Mexico/USA/UK)
Orwell: 2+2=5 - Raoul Peck
The Wave - Sebastián Lelio

Out of Competition

Leave One Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Amélie Bonnin (opening film)
Colours of Time [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cédric Klapisch
film profile] - Cédric Klapisch
The Richest Woman in the World [+see also:
film review
interview: Thierry Klifa
film profile] - Thierry Klifa
Highest 2 Lowest - Spike Lee
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning - Christopher McQuarrie
A Private Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Rebecca Zlotowski

Midnight Screenings

Sons of the Neon Night - Juno Mak
The Exit 8 - Genki Kawamura
Dalloway [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Yann Gozlan

Special Screenings

Bono: Stories of Surrender - Andrew Dominik
Tell Her That I Love Her [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Romane Bohringer
A Magnificent Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sylvain Chomet
film profile] - Sylvain Chomet