The world’s most prestigious film festival has revealed its official selection for 2025, with a star-studded line-up that balances Hollywood productions with international voices. The 78th Cannes Film Festival, running from 13th to 24th May, is set to transform the French Riviera once again into the epicentre of global cinema.
Festival director Thierry Frémaux, alongside festival president Iris Knobloch, announced at the UGC Montparnasse cinema in Paris that a record-breaking 2,909 feature submissions had been received this year – a testament to the festival’s enduring significance.
The 78th edition is set to make history, opening for the first time with a debut feature: Amélie Bonnin’s Partir Un Jour. The beloved French singer-actress Juliette Armanet plays a woman about to realise her dream of opening a gourmet restaurant when family circumstances draw her back to her hometown.
While fresh talent takes centre stage on opening night, established Hollywood actors will dominate the red carpet throughout the festival, with Robert De Niro set to receive the Honorary Palme d’Or during the opening ceremony on 13th May.
See more: “The Godfather of Cinema”: Cannes Film Festival to bestow Honorary Palme d’Or on Robert De Niro
Meanwhile, French screen icon Juliette Binoche will preside over the official jury, bringing her experience as both an acclaimed actress and previous Cannes winner to the deliberations.
A battle of cinematic visions
This year’s main competition for the Palme d’Or features 19 films, with six female filmmakers in the running – a sign of the festival’s ongoing commitment to representation.
The Dardenne brothers, two-time Palme winners, return with The Young Mother’s Home, set within a shelter for young mothers. Their previous wins came with Rosetta (1999) and The Child (2005).
Wes Anderson, whose distinctive style has established him as one of contemporary cinema’s most recognised creators, brings The Phoenician Scheme – a spy comedy thriller featuring an ensemble led by Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera.
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Horror maestro Ari Aster is making his Competition debut with Eddington, a dark comedy western starring the powerhouse trio of Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone. The film portrays a small-town New Mexico sheriff’s power struggle with his mayor during pandemic times.
Julia Ducournau, who made history in 2021 as the second female director to win the Palme d’Or with her body horror Titane, returns with Alpha, starring Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani.
Among the most anticipated titles is Richard Linklater’s French-language Nouvelle Vague, narrating the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s revolutionary Breathless, with Zooey Deutch in a leading role. This marks Linklater’s return to the Croisette after nearly 20 years, having last featured as a director in 2006.
The Competition section also features Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, starring Josh O’Connor in an art heist drama set against the Vietnam War; and Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, which reunites him with The Worst Person in the World star Renate Reinsve.
The Un Certain Regard section, traditionally showcasing more experimental works, features two particularly notable directorial debuts from established actors.
Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson steps behind the camera with Eleanor The Great, starring 94-year-old June Squibb as a woman rebuilding her life following her best friend’s death.
Meanwhile, Triangle of Sadness actor Harris Dickinson makes his directorial debut with Urchin, which follows a homeless man in London attempting to break free from self-destructive patterns.
Out of Competition highlights
The Out of Competition selections promise high-profile premieres including Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest.
Midnight Screenings will offer festival-goers late-night thrills with Yann Gozlan’s Dalloway, Genki Kawamura’s Exit 8 and Juno Mak’s Sons of the Neon Night.
For the thousands of film professionals, critics and cinema lovers making the annual journey to the Croisette, the 2025 edition promises 12 days of discoveries, debates and the distinctive magic that only Cannes can deliver.
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Photo credit: Joachim Tournebize / Festival de Cannes