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The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled its highly anticipated 2025 line-up, following the resounding success of its . Indeed, the 78th edition of the film festival returns after a banner year which saw Cannes steal a lot of Venice’s thunder as awards kingmaker. won the Palme d’Or and went on to win .
The 2024 competition winners, including and , also picked up several awards, while other competition titles like and also featured predominantly during awards season. All to say that when it comes to setting the cinematic agenda for the rest of the year, Cannes is the place to be. And it looks like Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes, and , General Delegate, know it all too well.
.. They presented this year’s line-up, with Knobloch making a plea for tolerance and diversity, saying that the Cannes film festival has been in “dialogue with the world, embodying a France that is brave, curious and open.
” Out of the 2,909 feature films in the pre-selection (a record), 19 were chosen for the Official Competition – and the 2025 vintage is looking big, bold and star-studded. It includes new films by Kelly Reichardt, who returns to Cannes with the art-heist drama ; Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, who returns to the Croisette after with , also featuring Renate Reinsve; and Ari Aster’s , starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone. There’ll also be Richard Linklater’s , which tells the story of Jean-Luc Godard making his classic ; Julia Ducournau’s much-anticipated return to the Croisette with , following ; and Oliver Hermanus’ , starring Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal in a gay musical romance.
Expect this one to break the internet. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Cannes line-up at this point without the Dardennes brothers ( ) and Wes Anderson, who will bring his latest film, , to the Croisette. It’s also worth singling out this year’s Opening Film which, for the first time, will be a debut feature - by Amélie Bonnin - and that six of the 19 directors in Competition are women: Reichardt, Ducournau, Carla Simon, Mascha Schilinski, Chie Hayakawa and Hafsia Herzi.
Elsewhere, the Un Certain Regard sidebar selection will showcase several actors making their directorial debuts, including Scarlett Johansson with and with . There will aslo be the A24-acquired feature debut from British director Harry Lighton, , which delves into the gay biker scene in the UK. Among the Out Of Competition highlights this year are Jodie Foster-starrer , directed by Rebecca Zlotowski; the music documentary ; and the previously announced eighth (and possibly final) Mission: Impossible film, .
The Cannes Premiere section will also feature several early highlights like Sebastián Lelio’s Spanish-language feminist musical ; from Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov; and the new documentary from the always-brilliant Raoul Peck, – about the life and legacy of George Orwell. Many may be disappointed to see that Lynne Ramsey’s , Jim Jarmusch’s or even Kogonada’s are absent from the programme, but as is Frémaux’s custom, there will be further announcements in the coming weeks. We wouldn’t be surprised if the latest Spike Lee joint, , and at least one of the aforementioned names, gets a cheeky inclusion.
The 78th edition doesn't start until 13 May, but the political spotlight is already on the festival – a limelight on systemic violence in the world of culture. Knobloch alluded to it during the announcement of the line-up and it may well end up being one of this year’s main talking points. Indeed, after six months' work, more than 100 hearings and almost 400 people questioned, the National Assembly’s committee on violence in the film, theatre and advertising industries has presented its report and 89 recommendations.
One of these, for example, concerns the right of performers to have a say when it comes to a film’s final cut – a recommendation prompted by the testimony of actress Anna Mouglalis who recounted how, after refusing to allow a graphic shot showing her vagina to be kept in, the shot ended up not only in the film but also in the trailer. The report is three hundred and thirteen pages of damning evidence describing moral and sexual violence as “systemic”, “endemic” and “persistent”. It calls out a system that reflects “our society, which is still profoundly sexist and patriarchal,” explained MP and commission rapporteur Erwan Balanant.
When asked about the committee's expectations when it comes to Cannes Film Festival, Balanant mentioned the “strong sign” of 's presidency and added: “If they can continue what they have started, that would be good.” Indeed, the celebrated French actress will succeed Greta Gerwig - marking only the second time in Cannes history that the jury will be headed by a woman for two consecutive years – following 1966 when Sophia Loren took over president of the jury duties from Olivia de Havilland. However, Sandrine Rousseau, the chairwoman of the commission, was clearly not satisfied with Balanant’s rather vague answer when it comes to Cannes, and has called on the film festival to be “the place to change attitudes”.
She said that the international cultural event has to “take responsibility”, in particular because all the eyes of the world are focused on Cannes in May. “The festival must be the place for this change of attitude, where we say loud and clear, institutionally but also with the glitter and the red carpets, at the microphone and on the podium, that at last we all want, all the players, all the levels of these professions, for things to change - because this is not acceptable,” she said. Rousseau added: “This is a message I'm sending to the Cannes festival.
You have a responsibility to say: We hear you, we believe you, we will support you and we no longer want this world to be structured in this way.” So, will this year’s 78th edition be a more engaged one? How will Iris Knobloch and Thierry Frémaux address the findings of the report in a meaningful way so as to contribute to changing mindsets and attitudes? It is worth reminding that the industry's trade unions signed an agreement in , an agreement aimed at preventing sexist and sexual violence in the film industry, and regulating the hiring and working conditions of minors under the age of 16. Since 2018, as stated on the festival website, the event has also strengthened its commitments in the fight against sexist and sexual violence for the duration of the festival with a dedicated assistance unit.
All eyes on Cannes for this year’s stellar line-up, but also for the future of cinema..
