The Cannes Film Festival has officially unveiled its Official Selection for the 78th edition, set to take place from May 13 to 24, 2025. The announcement was made at a press conference held at Paris’ UGC Montparnasse cinema by festival director Thierry Frémaux and president Iris Knobloch.
This year’s Competition slate features a compelling mix of seasoned auteurs and rising voices in global cinema. Returning names include Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, the Dardenne Brothers, and Joachim Trier. They are joined by newcomers such as Ari Aster, Carla Simon, and Germany’s Mascha Schilinski. Notably, six of the 19 Competition films are directed by women, including Julia Ducournau, Kelly Reichardt, Hafsia Herzi, Chie Hayakawa, Carla Simon, and Schilinski.
Among the most anticipated titles are Anderson’s spy thriller The Phoenician Scheme, Ari Aster’s pandemic-era Western Eddington, and Ducournau’s Alpha, her follow-up to the Palme d’Or-winning Titane. Linklater enters Competition with Nouvelle Vague, a French-language film about the making of Breathless, while the Dardenne Brothers return with The Young Mother’s Home, marking their 10th Palme d’Or bid.
Out of Competition screenings will feature Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning directed by Christopher McQuarrie and Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest. Cannes will open with Amélie Bonnin’s debut feature Partir Un Jour, marking the first time a first-time filmmaker has opened the festival.
Un Certain Regard will host directorial debuts from Scarlett Johansson with Eleanor The Great and Harris Dickinson with Urchin. Juliette Binoche will preside over the Competition jury, and Robert De Niro will receive the honorary Palme d’Or.
With a record 2,909 feature submissions, the 2025 edition of Cannes showcases the festival’s ongoing commitment to cinematic excellence and discovery.
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