The Cannes Film Festival has revealed its highly anticipated Official Selection for its 78th edition, running from May 13 to 24, 2025. Festival director Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch made the announcement in Paris, presenting a vibrant and diverse lineup that features both revered auteurs and exciting new voices in global cinema.
This year’s Cannes Film Festival Competition lineup includes 19 films selected from a record-breaking 2,909 feature submissions. The mix showcases celebrated filmmakers such as the Dardenne Brothers, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, and Joachim Trier alongside emerging talents like Ari Aster, Carla Simon, and Mascha Schilinski.
Veteran Powerhouses and New Stories
Among the most anticipated returns is Wes Anderson with The Phoenician Scheme, a spy comedy thriller featuring Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera. Meanwhile, the Dardenne Brothers present The Young Mother’s Home, a drama set in a shelter for young mothers — their tenth film in the Cannes Competition.
Joachim Trier reunites with The Worst Person In The World team for Sentimental Value, a generational drama starring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård. Richard Linklater returns for the first time since 2006 with Nouvelle Vague, a French-language film chronicling the making of Godard’s Breathless.
Other returning auteurs include Sergei Loznitsa with Two Prosecutors, a historical drama set in Stalinist Russia, and Kleber Mendonça Filho with The Secret Agent, set during Brazil’s military dictatorship.
Cannes Film Festival: Rising Talent and Female Voices
Six female directors are featured in the main Cannes Film Festival Competition, reflecting a growing commitment to diversity. Julia Ducournau returns with Alpha, her follow-up to Palme d’Or winner Titane, starring Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani. Kelly Reichardt presents The Mastermind, an art heist drama with Josh O’Connor, while Hafsia Herzi’s La Petite Derniere explores identity and sexuality in suburban Paris.
Germany’s Mascha Schilinski debuts in Competition with Sound Of Falling, a multi-generational rural drama. Carla Simon brings Romería, about a teen’s journey to connect with her estranged family. Japan’s Chie Hayakawa offers Renoir, a poignant family story shaped by illness and memory.
Ari Aster’s first Cannes Competition entry, Eddington, features Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone in a pandemic-era Western filled with dark humour and political tension.
Global Stories, Big Names, and Cannes Firsts
This year’s opening film, Partir Un Jour by Amélie Bonnin, marks the first — debut feature launching the festival. Cannes also honours Robert De Niro with an honorary Palme d’Or and welcomes Juliette Binoche as president of the Competition jury.
The “Un Certain Regard” section includes directorial debuts from Scarlett Johansson with Eleanor The Great and Harris Dickinson with Urchin, further blending Hollywood stardom with indie storytelling.
From historical thrillers to queer romances and genre-bending narratives, Cannes 2025 promises a celebration of cinematic diversity. With this dynamic slate, the festival continues to position itself as the global stage where film artistry meets fresh perspectives.
Cannes Film Festival: Official selection
Competition
- Alpha, Julia Ducournau
- Dossier 137, Dominik Moll
- Eddington, Ari Aster
- Eagles Of The Republic, Tarik Saleh
- Fuori, Mario Martone
- The History Of Sound, Oliver Hermanus
- The Mastermind, Kelly Reichardt
- Nouvelle Vague, Richard Linklater
- La Petite Derniere, Hafsia Herzi
- The Phoenician Scheme, Wes Anderson
- Renoir, Chie Hayakawa
- Romeria, Carla Simon
- The Secret Agent, Kleber Mendonca Filho
- Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier
- A Simple Accident, Jafar Panahi
- Sirat, Oliver Laxe
- Sound Of Falling, Mascha Schilinski
- Two Prosecutors, Sergei Loznitsa
- The Young Mother’s Home, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Out of Competition
- Colours Of Time, Cedric Klapisch
- Highest 2 Lowest, Spike Lee
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Christopher McQuarrie
- Partir Un Jour, Amélie Bonnin – opening film
- The Richest Woman In The World, Thierry Klifa
- Vie Privée, Rebecca Zlotowski
Midnight Screenings
- Dalloway, Yann Gozlan
- Exit 8, Genki Kawamura
- Sons Of The Neon Night, Juno Mak
Cannes Premiere
- Amrum, Fatih Akin
- Connemara, Alex Lutz
- The Disappearance Of Josef Mengele, Kirill Serebrennikov
- Orwell: 2+2=5, Raoul Peck
- Splitsville, Mike Corvino
- The Wave, Sebestian Lelio
Special Screenings
- Bono: Stories Of Surrender, Andrew Dominik
- A Magnificent Life, Sylvain Chomet
- Tell Her That I Love Her, Romane Bohringer
Un Certain Regard
- Aisha Can’t Fly Away, Morad Mostafa
- Caravan, Zuzana Kirchnerová
- Eleanor The Great, Scarlett Johansson
- Heads Or Tails?, Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis
- Homebound, Neeraj Ghaywan
- The Last One For The Road, Francesco Sossai
- L’inconnu de la Grande Arche, Stéphane Demoustier
- Meteors, Hubert Charuel
- The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo, Diego Céspedes
- My Father’s Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr.
- Once Upon A Time In Gaza, Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser
- A Pale View Of The Hills, Kei Ishikawa
- Pillion, Harry Lighton
- Promised Sky – Erige Sehiri
- The Plague, Charlie Polinger
- Urchin, Harris Dickinson
Pingback: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal Face Off Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’
Pingback: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal in Ari Aster A24 Western Eddington
Pingback: Prison Cell to Palme d’Or: Iranian director Jafar Panahi at Cannes