2025 Cannes Film Festival: 22 Films Compete for the Palme d’Or
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Roshan Amiri
- . May 25, 2025
- . Update: May 24, 2025 11:22 pm
2025 Cannes Film Festival concluded on Saturday and among the 22 films honored is the victorious Palme d’Or title. This year’s jury, headed by Juliette Binoche, Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong, must decide who to award from a lineup that reflects many experiences. The competition is home to notable international directors such as Wes Anderson, Kelly Reichardt and the Dardenne brothers, all presenting films that range from moving family stories to exciting political thrillers and highlight the most exciting contemporary films from around the world.
Films in Competition
| Film Title | Director | Country | Genre/Theme | Notable Elements |
| A Simple Accident | Jafar Panahi | Iran | Political Drama | Shot in secret, explores justice and revenge |
| Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier | Norway | Family Drama | Stars Elle Fanning, 19-minute standing ovation |
| Two Prosecutors | Sergei Loznitsa | Ukraine | Historical Drama | Set during Stalin’s purges in 1930s USSR |
| Eagles of the Republic | Tarik Saleh | Sweden/Egypt | Political Thriller | Targets Egypt’s current president Al-Sisi |
| Young Mothers | Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne | Belgium | Social Realism | Five-star Guardian review, teenage mothers story |
| Sound of Falling | Mascha Schilinski | Germany | Trauma Drama | Four generations of women, early festival favorite |
| Nouvelle Vague | Richard Linklater | US | Period Drama | Black & white homage to Godard’s “Breathless” |
| Sirat | Oliver Laxe | Spain | Road Movie | Mad Max-style rave community in Morocco |
| The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt | US | Crime Drama | Josh O’Connor in Vietnam War-era art heist |
| The History of Sound | Oliver Hermanus | South Africa | Period Romance | Josh O’Connor & Paul Mescal as 1910s musicians |
| Die My Love | Lynne Ramsay | Britain | Psychological Drama | Robert Pattinson & Jennifer Lawrence |
| Romeria | Carla Simon | Spain | Coming-of-Age | Teen discovers parents’ drug-using past |
| The Phoenician Scheme | Wes Anderson | US | Comedy-Drama | A-list cast including Scarlett Johansson |
| Renoir | Chie Hayakawa | Japan | Family Drama | 1980s story of girl and dying father |
| The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonca Filho | Brazil | Political Thriller | Set during Brazilian dictatorship |
| The Last One | Hafsia Herzi | France | LGBTQ+ Drama | Won Queer Palm, Muslim teen’s identity struggle |
| Eddington | Ari Aster | US | Dark Satire | Joaquin Phoenix in culture wars commentary |
| Alpha | Julia Ducournau | France | Dystopian Drama | 1980s epidemic story, mixed critical reception |
| Woman and Child | Saeed Roustaee | Iran | Social Drama | Tehran widow’s story, approved by censors |
| Dossier 137 | Dominik Moll | France | Detective Thriller | Yellow Vest protests investigation |
| Resurrection | Bi Gan | China | Sci-Fi Mystery | Poetic detective story with innovative aesthetics |
| Fuori | Mario Martone | Italy | Biographical Drama | Italian actress Goliarda Sapienza’s prison story |
